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MY 


i 


KING; 8 


DAILY THOUGHTS FOR THE 
KING’S CHILDREN. 


BY 

FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL 


u My King and my God. ’’—>*!. \ a. 


4 


* 

■> 

> 



NEW YORK! 

ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH & COMPANY, 
38 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET. 










/ 


PREFATORY NOTE. 


ri THE number of beautiful texts and topics 
“ touching the King” is far too large for 
the plan of this little book. The difficulty lay 
in selection. 

None but Old Testament texts, cuiefly 
typical ones, have been taken for the daily 
portions; and the wide, bright fields of the 
future^-the coming glory and reign of our 
King—have been left untouched. Only those 
passages have been chosen which concern the 
actual present reign of Christ our King, and 
the practical present life of His true subjects. 
And still there are too many! The Throne, 
the Palace, the Royal Bounty, the Wisdom, th# 



6 PRE FA TOR Y NO TE. 

Favor of the King, and many other points, will 
give pleasant opportunity to earnest readers 
for further search and study. 

It is my happy hope and prayer that these 
simple “ Daily Thoughts ” may quicken the 
glad loyalty and loving praise of some of His 
children, and that the blessing of my King 
may go forth with every copy. “ Let the chil¬ 
dren of Zion be joyful in their King,” and 
then “ Daily shall He be praised! ” 

F. R. H, 

December 5, 1876. 


CONTENTS. 


PAT. PAG*. 

i. The Source of the Kingship, ... q 

а. The Promise of the King, . . , ia 

3. Allegiance to the King, .... 15 

4. Decision for the King, .... 18 

5. The First to meet the King, . . . ai 

б. The Condescension of the King, . . 25 

7. The Indwelling of the King, ... 28 

8. Full Satisfaction in the King, ... 3a 

9. The Sorrow of the King, .... 36 

10. Going forth with the King, .... 40 

11. The Smiting of the King, .... 43 

ia. The Kinship of the King, .... 46 

13. The Desire of the King, .... 50 

14. The Sceptre of the King.54 

15. Cleaving to the King,.58 

16. The Joy of the King.61 

17. Rest on the Word of the King, ... 64 

18. The Business of the King, .... 67 

19. The Readiness of the King’s Servants, . 7 * 

ao. The Friendship of the King, . . 7S 






8 


CONTENTS. 


DAY. PAGE 

21. The Light of the King’s Countenance, ^8 

22. The Tenderness of the King, . . 8a 

23. The Token of the King’s Grace, . 86 

24. The Omniscience of the King, . 8g 

25. The Power of the King’s Word,... 93 

26. The Name of the King, .... 97 

27. Working with the King, .... 101 

28. The Recompense of the. King, . . .104 

29. The Salvation of the King,.... 108 

30. Good Tidings to the King’s Household, . 113 

31. The Prosperity of the King. . . . 116 


fot Snttlmgs. 


I. The Table of the King, 

. 

x, 9 

2. Listening for the King’s Voice, 


123 

3. Seeing the King, . 

. 

127 

4. Coming to the King, . 

. 

131 

5. The Coming of the King, - 


136 




FIRST DAY. 


imtm nf % Xingsliip. 


“ Because the Lord hath loved His peo- a chron. u 
pie. He hath made thee king over them.” 11 “• 8 * 



HRIST said to His Father, “Thou lov« 


edst me before the foundation _ , 

John xvu* 24, 

of the world.” At that mysterious 
date, not of time, but of everlasting lov*, God 
“chose us in Him.” Before the Eph>i4 
world began, God, that can r A lie, Tltus u 2 * 
gave the promise of eternal life to Him for us, 
and made with Him for us “ a cov- _ 

2 Sar\. xxm. j 

enant ordered in all things, and sure. 

The leading provisions of that covenant were, 
a Lamb for our atonement and a King for our 
government—a dying and a living Saviour 
This God the Father did for us, and His own 
divine interest is strongly indicated in the 


( 9 ) 



IO 


MY KING . 


Ps. cxxxix. 17 


Ps. ii. 6. 


typical words, “ God will provide Himself a 
G«n. xxii. 8 . Lamb,” and “ I have provided me a 
x Sam, xvi. 1. King.” So the Source of the King- 
ship of Christ is God Himself, in the eternal 
counsels of His love. It is one of the grand 
“ thoughts of God.” 

Having provided, He appointed 
and anointed His King: “Yet have I set (mar¬ 
gin, anointed) my King upon my 
holy hill of Zion.” What a marvelous 
meeting-place is thus found in the Kingship of 
Jesus for God’s heart and ours! He says in 
His majestic sovereignty, “ I have set my King;” 
and we say, in lowly and loving loyalty, “ Thou 
art my King.” 

God has appointed His King “ to 

be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 

Thus He gives His children a great 

bond of union. For “ one King shall be King 

Ezek. xxxvii. to them all,” and He shall “ gather 

a2, together in one the children of God 

,, . which were scattered abroad.” “Sa¬ 

loon xx. 52.. 

tan scatters, but Jesus gathers.” Shah 
we then let the enemy have his way, and induce 
us to keep apart and aloof from those over whom 


Ps. xliv. 4. 


1 Kings i. 35. 


/ 


THE SOURCE OF THE KINGSHIP, n 

our beloved King reigns also ? Let us try this 
day to recollect this, and make it practical in 
ah our contact with His other subjects. 

Why has God made Jesus King? Who 
would have guessed the right answer ? “ Be¬ 

cause the Lord loved His people.” So the very 
thought of the Kingship of Christ ^ 
sprang from the everlasting love of 
God to His people. Bring that wonderful 
statement down to personal reality—■“ His peo¬ 
ple ”—that is> you and me. God made Jesus 
King over you because He loved you, and that 
with nothing less than the love _ .. „ 

, # John xvn. 26. 

wherewith He loved Him. Which 
is the more wonderful—the love that devised 
such a gift, or the gift that was devised by such 
love l Oh, to realize the glorious value of it'! 
May we, who by His grace know something of 
God’s gift of His Son as our Saviour, learn 
day by day more of the magnificent precious- 
ness of His gift of His Anointed One as oui 
King! 


SECOND DAY. 


Ib. iii. 4. 


Ib. x. 3. 


€Ijt ^rontfe tf % Hing. 

Hos. xiiL 10. “ I will be thy King.” 

H E knows our need of a king. He knows 
the hopeless anarchy, not only of a 
world, but of a heart, “without a 
king.” Is there a more desolate 
cry than, “We have no king?"— 
none to reverence and love, none to 
obey, none to guide and protect us and rule 
over us, none to keep us in that truest freedom 
of whole-hearted loyalty. Have we not felt 
Isa. lvii. 10, that we ready want a strong hand 
l8 * over our hearts ? that having our 

own way is not so good as another’s way, if 
only that other is one to whom our hearty and 
entire confidence and allegiance can be and 
are given? Has there not been an echo in 
our souls of the old cry, “ Give me a king ? 
(12) 



THE PROMISE OF THE KING . 


13 


—a cry that nothing can still but this Divin 
promise, “/ will be thy King! ” 

, . Hos. Xlll. Iv 

But the promise has been given; 
and now, if the old desolate wail of a kinglesa 
heart comes up in an hour of faithless forget¬ 
fulness, His word comes like a royal clarion, 
“ Now, why dost thou cry out aloud ? 

Is there no king in thee ? ” And then 

the King’s gracious assurance falls with hushing 

power, “ I will be thy King. ” 

How glad we are that He Himself is our 
King! For we are so sure that He 
is able even to subdue all things 
unto Himself in this inner kingdom 
which we can not govern at all. We 
are so glad to take Him at His 
word, and give up the government 
into His hands, asking Him to be our King in 
'ery deed, and to set up His throne of peace 
in the long-disturbed and divided citadel, 
praying that He would bring every sCor x 
thought into captivity to His gentle 
obedience. 

We have had enough of revolutions and re¬ 
volts, of tyrants and traitors, of Lawlessness 


Phil. iii. 2i. 


Mic. vii. 19. 


Rom. vii. 19. 


MY KING . 


14 


and 

Isa. xxvi, 13. 


of self-framed codes. Other lords (and 
oh, how many !) have had domin¬ 
ion over us. He has permitted us to 
he their servants, that now, by blessed and rest- 
• Chron. xK. fill contrast, we may know His serv- 
8 ' ice. Now we only want “another 

King, one Jesus.” He has made us 
willing in the day of His power, 
and that was the first act of His 
reign, and the token that “ of the 
increase of His government and 
peace there shall be no end ” in our 

hearts. 

Lord, be Thou my King this day ! Reign 
more absolutely in me than ever before. Let 
the increase of Thy government be continual 
■ Thess. i. and mighty in me, so that Thy 
xa * name may be glorified in me now 

and forever. 


Acts xvu. 7. 


Ps. cx. 3. 


Isa. ix. 7. 


Reign over me, Lord Jesus! 

Oh, make my heart Thy throm 
It shall be Thine forever, 

It shall be Thine alone : 


THIRD DAY. 


iUlltginnrE far % ling. 

“ Thou art my King.” p s . xliv. 4. 

I pIRST, can I say it ? 

Is Jesus in very deed and truth “my 
King ? ” Where is the proof of it ? Am I 
living in His kingdom bf “ right- Rom ^ 
eousness and peace and joy in the 
Holy Ghost ” now ? Am I speaking the lan¬ 
guage of that kingdom ? Am I following “ the 
customs of the people ” which are 
not His people? or do I “diligently 
learn the ways of His people ? ” „ .. , 
Am I practically living under the 
rule of His laws? Have I done heart homage 
to Him ? Am I bravely and honestly uphold¬ 
ing His cause because it is His, not merely be¬ 
cause those around me do so? Is my alle¬ 
giance making any practical difference to my 
life to-day? 


Jer.x 3. 



16 


MY KING. 


Next, ought I to say it ? 

What! any question about that? The King 
who came Himself to purchase me 
from my tyrant and His foe; the 
King, who laid aside His crown and His royal 
robes and left His kingly palace and 
came down Himself to save a rebel; 
the King, who, though He was rich, yet for my 
sake became poor, that I “ through His pov¬ 
erty might be rich ”— ought I to ac¬ 
knowledge Him ? Is it a question 
of “ ought I ? ” God has “ called me 
unto His kingdom and glory;” He 
“ hath translated me into the king¬ 
dom of the Son of His love; ” and 
shall the loyal words falter or fail from my lips, 
“ Thou art my King ? ” 

Lastly, do I say it? 

God has said to me, “ He is thy 
Lord and worship thou Him.” Do 
my lips say, “My Lord and my 
God?” Does my life say, “Christ 
Jesus, my Lord ” —definitely and 
personally, “my Lord?” Can I 
share in His last sweet commendation to His 


Acts xx. 


Phil. ii. 7. 


e Cor. viii. 9. 


Thess. 


Col. i. 13. 


Ps. xlv. II. 


John xx. 28. 


Phil. iii. 8. 


ALLEGIANCE TO THE KING, 


John xiii. 13, 


disciples, the more precious because of its di« 
vine dignity, “Ye call me Master 
and Lord, and ye say well, for so I 
am ? * Have I said, “ Thou art my Ps> Jxxxi . 1S| 
King” to Jesus Himself, from the mar * 
depth of my own heart in unreserved and un¬ 
feigned submission to His sceptre? Am I 
ashamed or afraid to confess my al¬ 
legiance in plain English among His 
friends or before His foes? Is the seal upon 
my brow so unmistakable that always and 
everywhere I am known to be His subject? 
Is “ Thou art my King ” blazoned, 
as it ought to be, in shining letters 
on the whole scroll of my life, so that 
it may be “ known and read of all 
men ? ” 

Answer Thou for me, O my King! “ Search 
me and try me,” and show me the Ps . 
true state of my case, and then for 23 ‘ 

Thine own sake pardon all my past m n 
disloyalty, and make me by Thy 
mighty grace from this moment totally loyal 
For “ Thou art my King ! 


Matt. x. 3*. 


Acts iv. 13. 


a Cor. Hi. a. 


2 


FOURTH DAY 


imsimt far tjn ling. 

• Sun. iii. 17, "Ye sought for David in times pasi id 
x8 * be king over you. Now, then, do it.” 


** TN time past, when Saul was 
king over us, thou wast he 
that leddest out and broughtest in Israel.” 

Chosen, anointed, given by God, 
continually leading and caring for 
us, yet not accepted, not crowned, 
not enthroned by us; our real al¬ 
legiance, our actual service given to 
another! Self has been our Saul, 
our central tyranny; and many 
have been its officers domineering 
in every department. 

“Ye sought for David in times past to be 
king over you.” Well we might, for the bond 
age of any other lord was daily 
harder. Well we might, with eves 
(18) 


lb. v. 


Ps. ixxxix. 
19,30. 


Isa. lv. 4. 


Rom. vi. 16. 


Ib. vii. 23. 


Isa. jot. 3. 



DECISION FOR THE XING. 


1 $ 


a dim glimpse of the grace and glory of the 
King who waited for our homage. We sought, 
Irst, only for something—we hardly knew what 
—restlessly and vaguely; then, for some One, 
who was not merely “ the Desire of „ .. 

m nag. ik 7. 

all nations,” but our own desire. 

And yet we did not come to the x Kings xviii 
point; we were not ready for His ai * 
absolute monarchy, for we were loving and do¬ 
ing the will of our old tyrant. 

But “the time past of our life _ . 

r 1 Pet. iv. 3. 

may suffice us to have wrought the 
will ” of self—Satan—the world. We do not 
want “ to live the rest of our time ” 
to any but One Will. We come face 
to face with a great NOW ! “ Now, e ... .. 
then, do it! ” “ Now, then, let us, 

with full purpose of heart, dethrone the usurper 
and give the diadem to Him “ whose *, ck . « L ^ 
right it is,” a blood-bought and * 7 * 
death-sealed right. 

He does not force allegiance—He w^its for 
it. The crown of our own individ- _ 

2 Sam. v. 3. 

ual love and loyalty must be offered 

by our own hands. We must “ do it.” When ? 


lb. iv. 2. 


20 


M Y KING. 


Oh. now! Now let us come to Jesus as oul 
King. Now let us, first in solemn, heart-sur¬ 
render, and then in open and unmistakable 
life-confession, yield ourselves to Him as our 
Sovereign, our Ruler. 

What a glorious life of victory and peace 
opens before us when this is done! What a 
silencing of our fears lest the time to come 
should nevertheless be as the time past! 

„ ... „ “ Now, then, do it: for the Lord 

3 Sam. ui. 18. 

hath spoken of David, saying, By 
the hand of my servant David I will save my 
people Israel out of the hand of the Philis¬ 
tines, and out of the hand of all their ene¬ 
mies.” 

Now, do not let us “ take away 

Rev. writ. 19. . 

from the words of this promise, 
and merely hope that our King may save us 
from some of our enemies. The Lord hath 
said, “ will save from ally Let.us trust our 
true David this day to fulfill the word of the 
Lord, and verily we shall not fail to find that 
.. . according to our faith it shall be 

Matt. ix. 29. 0 

unto us. 


FIFTH DAY. 


4£1je /irst tn W.n\ tljc ling. 

44 Foi thy servant doth know that I have 9 Sam. xix. 
iinncd ; therefore, behold, I am come the ao - 
first this day of all the house of Joseph to meet my 
lord the king.” 

Y ES, I have sinned. I know that I have 
sinned. Whether I feel it more or less 
does not touch the fact: I know it. And what 
then? “Therefore, behold, I am come the 
first this day of all ... . to meet my lord the 
King." 

Just because I know that I have 

. , T . r tj Matt * “• 13> 

sinned, I come to Jesus. He came 
-to call sinners. He came to save . 
sinners, so He came to call and to 
save me. “ This is all my desire." a Sam. xxifi 
Just because I know that I have * 

( 21 ) 



72 


MY KING . 


Pro v. xiv. 10. 


tinned, I may and must come “ the first of 
all.” Thousands are coming, but the heart 
knoweth his own bitterness. So, 
not waiting for others, not coming 
in order, but “ first of all,” by the pressure of 
my sore need of pardon, I come. There is no 
waiting for one’s turn in coming to Jesus. 

“ The first of all,” because it is against “ my 
lord the King ” that I have sinned. I am His 
servant, so I have the greater sin. 
“ The first of all,” because I have so 
much to be forgiven, and have al¬ 
ready been forgiven so much, that I 
must, I do, love much; and love, 
even of a sorrowing sinner, seeks 
nearness, and can not rest in distance. 

“ Therefore,” also, “I am come this day* 
I dare not and could not wait till to¬ 
morrow. No need to wait, even till 
to-night! Now! He is passing by, 
and I must “ haste to meet ” Him. 
“ While He is near,” I will tell Him 
all. 

I am come to meet Him, not merely 
to go to Him; for He is always com¬ 


ps. cxvi. 16. 


Luke vii. 47. 


Col. ii. 13. 


Matt. xx. 30. 


Sam. xix. 
16. 


Isa. lv. 6. 


Zech. ix. 9. 


THE FIRST TO MEET THE KING. 


23 


ing to meet us. He was on His way , , 

J Luke xv. 18 

before I had said, “ I will arise and 
go.” I come, because He comes to me. 

Yet I could not come with this terrible 
knowledge that I have sinned, but that I know 
something more. I know that He 
“ Come unto me.’ I know that He 
hath said, “ Him that cometh I will 
in nowise cast out.” This is enough; 
therefore I am come to my Lord the 
King. 

Not to His servants, but to Him¬ 
self. Even those who stand near 
Him may accuse and condemn, but 
the King Himself will receive me 
graciously; for, with Him, there is 
forgiveness and mercy and plente¬ 
ous redemption. 

And though the oath of an earthly sover¬ 
eign may be broken, my King (in x K in g s *l * 
glorious contrast to the imperfect 9 * 
human type) “ keepeth His promise Ps . cx]vi . , 
fcrever.” His covenant will He not (p ‘ B ‘ v) 
break, nor alter the thing that is p s . lxxxix 
gone out of His lips. Therefore, 34 


hath said, 

Matt. xi. 28. 

John vi. 37. 

Matt, xv 73, 

2 Sam. 1 
21. 

Hos. xi* *. 

Ps. cxxx 1,7. 


24 


MY KING. 


,, .. the eternal life which He hath prom* 

x John IX. as. . . 1 

lsed me is secured to me forever 
_ . for He hath said, “ I give unto them 

John x. 28. 0 

eternal life, and they shall never per¬ 
ish, neither shall any man pluck them out of 
my hand.” 


SIXTH DAY. 


€{n Cnnkarrasinn nf tjji ling. 

" Behold, thy King cometh unto thee.” Zech. ix. 9. 

T HAT our King should let us come to Him 
is condescension indeed. But have we 
praised Him for His still more wonderful con¬ 
descension : “ Thy King cometh unto . 

thee f Unto thee," rebel, traitor, 
faithless subject, coward, and cold-hearted fol¬ 
lower ; for where is the life that has not fallen 
under these charges when seen in the double 
light of the King’s perfect law and the King’s 
great love ? Yes, He cometh unto thee , and it 
is enough to break our hearts when we get one 
contrasted glimpse of this undeserved grace 
and unparalleled condescension. 

His great promise has had its first fulfillment 
“ unto thee." It is a finished fact of sevenfold 
grace. Thy King has come, and His own voice 

(25} 



26 


M V KING . 


Ib. ix, 13. 
Luke xix, 10. 
John x. 10. 

have life, 

lb. xii. 46. 


nas given the objects of His coming—“ to dc 
Heb. «. 9 . Thy w iii, o God ; ” “ to fulfill ” the 
a ‘ Y ’ I? ‘ law; “ to call sinners to repent¬ 
ance ;” “ to seek and to save that 
which was lost; ” “ that they might 
and that they might have it more 
abundantly; ” “ a light into the world 
that whosoever believeth on me 
should not abide in darkness.” What He came 
ib. xvii. 4 . to do He has done, for “ He faileth 
Zeph. iii. 5. not.” On this we may and ought ta 

isa xiiv 2 rest <l uietl y an d undoubtingly, fo* 
3 “ the Lord hath done it.” 

But you want a further fulfillment—you want 
a present coming of your King. 
You have His most sweet word, “I 
John xiv. 18. will come to you ; ” and you re- 
Ps. cl 2. spond, “ Oh, when wilt Thou come 
unto me ? ” Are you ready to receive the 
King’s own answer now ? Do you 
so desire His coming that you do 
not want it postponed at all ? Can you defer 
lb. Lxxiii. 25. all other comers and say in reality, 
Cant. iv. 16. « Let rny Beloved come ? ” 

He has but one answer to that appeal 


Cant. iii. 1. 


lb. cxliiL 6. 


CONDESCENSION OF THE KING. 2 ; 

Hush ! listen! believe! for the King speaks to 
you: “ I am come into my garden, c ^ 
my sister, my spouse.” He is come. 

Do not miss the unspeakable blessing and joy 
of meeting Him and resting in His , .. 

f , ib. »• 3- 

presence by hurrying away to any¬ 
thing else, by listening to any outward call. 
Stay now , lay the little book aside, kneel down 
at your King’s feet, doubt not His word, which 
is “ more sure ” than even the “ ex- 

2 Pet. i. 19. 

cellent glory ” that apostles beheld, 
and thank Him for coming to you. 

° J I Kings X. a 

Commune with Him now of all that 

is in your heart, and “rejoice greatly;” foi 

u behold, thy King cometh unto thee.” 

“Jesus comes to hearts rejoicing, 

Bringing news of sin forgiven ; 

Jesus comes in sounds of gladness, 

Leading souls redeemed to heaven. 

“Jesus comes again in mercy, 

When our hearts are bowed with care ; 
Jesus comes again in answer 
To an earnest heartfelt prayer.” 

—Godfrey Thrino. 


SEVENTH EAY. 



Jer. viii *9. “ Is not her King in her?” 

W AITING for a royal coming—what ex* 
pectation, what preparation, what ten* 
sion ! A glimpse for many, a full view foi 
some, a word for a favored few, and the pa¬ 
geant is over like a dream. The Sovereign may 
come, but does not stay. 

Our King comes not thus : He comes not 
Zech. ii. 10. to pass, but to “dwell in the midst 
Cor. vi. 16. 0 f thee; ” not only in His Church 
collectively, but in each believer individually. 
Luke xxiv. We pray, “Abide with us,” and He 
® 9 ‘ answers in the sublime plural of God- 

. , . head, “ We will come unto him, and 

John xiv. 23. 7 

make our abode with him.” Even 
this grand abiding with us does not extend to 

(28) 



THE IND WELLING OF THE KING. 29 

.he fall marvels of His condescension and His 
nearness, for the next time He speaks of it He 
changes the “with” to “in,” and j 0 hnxv. 4 ,5. 
thenceforth only speaks of “ I in John ^ 
you,” “I in him,” “I in them.” 

Now do not let us say, “ How can John Hi. 9. 
this be?” but, like Mary, “How Lukei. 34 . 
shall this be ? ” The means, though not the 
mode, of the mystery is revealed for our grasp 
of adoring wonder: “ That Christ „ , ... 

0 . . Eph. iii. 17. 

may dwell in your heart, by faith.” 

It is almost too wonderful to dare to speak of. 
Christ Himself, my King, coming to me, into 
me! abiding, dwelling in my very heart! 
Really staying there all day, all night, wherever 
I am, whatever I am doing; here in my poor 
unworthy heart at this very moment! And 
this only because the grace that flowed from 
His own love has broken the bars of j er . xxxi, %. 
doubt, and because He has given E P h - iL8 - 
the faith that wanted Him and welcomed Him. 
Let us pause a little to take it in! 

The more we have known of the plague of 
oui own heart, the more inconceiv- T Kings via 
ably wonderful this indwelling of s8 ‘ 


MY KING. 


30 

Christ will appear—much more wonderful than 
. , .. that He chose a manger as His royal 

Luke u. 7. . . , , , J 

resting-place, for that had never 
been defiled by sin, and had never harbored 
His enemy. It is no use trying to comprehend 
this incomprehensible grace of our King—we 
have only to believe His promise, saying, 
, “ Amen; the Lord God of my Lord 

x Kings 1.36. . „ 

the King say so too. 

There should be three practical results of 
this belief:—1. Holiness. We must see to it 
E P h. iv. 3 i. that we resolutely “ put away ” all 

i^Cor. 111. 16, t j iat 0U gh t not t0 j n r0 y a J 

2 Cor. vii. 1. abode. “ Having, therefore, these 
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse our¬ 
selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, 
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2. Con¬ 
fidence. What does the ci'adel fear when an 
invincible general is within it ? “ The Lord 

Zeph iii i 7 ^ * n m ^ st of thee is 

mighty; He will save.” He is 
Zech. ii. 5- “ the wall of fire round about,” and 

“ the glcry in the midst of her; ” and “ he that 
ib h 8. tcucheth you toucheth the apple oi 
Zeph. iw 14. His eye.” 3. Joy. Yes' “ Be glad 


7 'HE IND WELLING OF THE KING. 3 \ 

and rejoice with all the heart,” “ sing and re* 
joice, 0 daughter of Zion ; for, lo, I z ^ h ^ 
come, and I will dwell in the luidAt 
of thee, saith the Lord.” 


EIGHTH DAY. 


/nil Misfnrtinn in tin Sing. 

« Sam. xix. “ Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as mj 
3 °- lord the king is come again in peace to 

his own house.” 

I T is when the King has really come in 
peace to His own home in the “ contrite 
isa. lvii. is. and humble spirit ” (not before) — 
John xiv. a 3 . when He has entered in to make His 
abode there (not before)—that the soul is satis- 
p s . xxii. 26. fied with Him alone, and is ready 
to let any Ziba take all else, because all else 
really seems nothing at all in comparison to 
Matt. xiii. 46. the conscious possession of the 
Treasure of treasures. 

„ ... „ Sometimes this is reached at once. 

!*a. mm. 6. . _ , _ , . . 

in the first flush of wondering joy 
at finding the King really “ come in peace ” to 
the empty 60ul which wanted to be “ His own 
( 3 *) 



FULL SATISFACTION IN THE KING. 


33 


house.” Sometimes very gradually „ , ... „ 

. Heb. iu. 6. 

—as year after year we realize His 
indwelling more and more, and find again and 
again that He is quite enough to satisfy us in 
all circumstances; that the empty corners of 
the “ house ” are filled one after another; that 
the old longings have somehow gone Ps . iv 6> 
away, and the old ambitions van- cf. Eccies. 
ished; that the old tastes and inter- and ch¬ 
ests in the things of the world are superseded 
by stronger tastes and interests in the things 
of Christ; that He is day by day E P h.i.23. 
more really filling our lives—we phU -“• 8 - 
u count ” (because we really find) one thing 
after another “ but loss for the excellency of 
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,” till 
He leads us on to the rapturous joy of the 
“ Yea, doubtless,” and 11 all things! ” 

Now, have we got as far as saying “ some 
things,” without being quite sure about “ah 
things ? ” Do you see that it all hinges upon 
Jesus coming into the heart as “ His own house ” 
—altogether “ His own ? ” For if _ 

d . Acts xxvi. 29. 

there are some rooms of which we 
do not give up the key—some little sitting-room 
3 


34 


MY KING. 


which we would like to keep as a little mental 
retreat, with a view from the window, which 
we do not quite want to give up—some lodgei 
whom we would rather not send away just yet 
■—some little dark closet which we have not 
resolution to open and set to rights—of course 
the King has not full possession; it is not all 
and really “ His own; ” and the very misgiving 
about it proves that He has therefore not yet 
“ come again in peace.” It is no us£ expecting 
Isa. xxvi. 3 . “ perfect peace,” while He has a 

Mic. vi. 2. secret controversy with us about 
Acts v. 2. an y -withholding of what is “ His 
own ” by purchase. Only throw open all the 
Rev. iii. 20. doors, “ and the King of Glory shall 
Ps. xxiv. 9. come in,” and then there will be no 
Hag. u. 7 . cr aving for other guests. He will “ fill 
this house with glory,” and there will be no 
place left for gloom. 

Is it not so? Bear witness, tell it out, you 
with whom the King dwells in peace ! Life is 
filled with bright interests, time is filled with 
happy work or peaceful waiting, the mind is 
filled with His beautiful words and thoughts, 
the heart is filled with His presence, and you 


F ULL SA TISFACTION IN THE KING . 3 j 

“abide satisfied ” with Him f Yes, _ 

- tell it out! ” PMV ' " *’ 

The human heart asks love; but now I know 
That my heart hath from Thee 
All real, and full, and marvelous affection, 

So near, so human 1 yet Divine perfection 
Thrills gloriously the mighty glow ! 

Thy love is enough for me ! 

There were strange soul-depths, restless, vast, and 
broad, 

Unfathomed as the sea; 

An infinite craving for some infinite stilling ; 

But now Thy perfect love is perfect filling 1 
Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God, 

Thou, Thou art enough for me. 


NINTH DAY. 


€jlt Intrnin nf tjje ling. 


8 Sam. xv. 33. 


“ The king himself also passed overthi 
brook Kidron.” * 


66 ‘T'ESUS went forth with His dis- 

John xvux. 1 I 

" ciples over the brook Ced- 
ron.”f How precisely the Old Testament 
shadow corresponds with the New Testament 
fulfillment! The king, in sorrow and humilia¬ 
tion, is here brought before us, passing from 
his royal home, from all his glory and gladness 
2 Sam. xviii. —passing over into exile and un- 
known distresses. 

There is no need for imagination in dwelling 
on His sorrows. The pathos of the plain 
words is more than enough; no pen has power 
to add to it. Let us listen to them just as they 


* Kidron means “obscurity;” f Cedi on ti 
black ’ or “ sad ” 

( 36 ) 




THE SORRO W OF THE KING. 


3 ; 


stand—not hurrying over them because they 
are only texts, and we know them all before- 
hand; they are the Holy Ghost’s sevenfold tes 
timony to the sorrow of the King. 

“ A man of sorrows and ac- i sa . liii. 3 . 
quainted with grief.” “ I am poor Ps.ixix.a 9 
and sorrowful.” “The sorrows of p 
death compassed me.” “The sor- s,xvl11,4 ’ 5 
rows of hell compassed me.” “ Be- 

1 Lam. i. i2. 

hold and see if there be any sorrow 

like unto my sorrow.” “ He began Matt. xxvi. 

to be sorrowful and very heavy.” 37 ‘ 

“ My soul is exceeding sorrowful, „ 

J 0 lb. xxvi. 38 

even unto death. ’ Oh, stay a little 
that you may take it in ! Hear Jesus saying to 
you, “ Hear, I pray you, and be- . jg 
hold my sorrow ! ” 

“ Surely He hath borne our griefs 
and carried our sorrows.” The sor¬ 
rows of the past, the very sorrow that may be 
pressing heavily at this moment; all yours, all 
<*mine; all the sorrows of all His children all 
through the groaning generations; all that were 
‘ too heavy ” for them—Jesus bore p s . xxxviii. 1 
them all “ Is it nothing to you ? ” Lam< *• Ja * 


MY KING. 


38 


Phil. iii. 10. 


It is when the Lord says, “ Now will I gathei 
them (the rebels and wandeiers), that He adds, 
“And they shall sorrow a little for 

Hos. v^. 10. J 

the burden of the King of princes.” 
Have we this proof that He has indeed gath- 
„ ered us ? For “all the people,” ex- 

cept the rebels, passed over with 
the king.” Do we know anything of this pass¬ 
age ovei Cedron, the brook of sadness, with 
Him? Fossibly it seems presumptuous to 
think of sharing “ the fellowship of 
His sufferings,” that mysterious 
privilege! But mark, it was not only the 
mighty ItUi and “all his men,” the nobles 
and the veterans, that passed over, but “all 
the little ones that were with him,” 
too. And so “the little ones, the 
_ .. . weak ones,” the least member of 

1 Cor. *2i. 26, 7 

2 7- His body may thus “continue 

Lukexxu.28. w j t jj»» j esus . an( j nothing brings 

one closer to another than a shared sorrow. 

But look forward ! Because He has drunk 
“ of the brook in the way, therefore 
shall He lift up the head.” Already 


2 Sam. xv. 22. 


Ps ex. 7. 


THE SORRO W OF THE KING. 39 


the “ exceeding sorrowful ” is ex- Matt . 
changed for “ Thou hast made Him 38. 

(the King) exceeding glad;” and Ps * xxl “ 6, 
when the ransomed and gathered T 

o Isa. xxxv. ra 

of the Lord shall return with ever¬ 
lasting joy, “ their King also shall *** u ‘ ** 
pass before them.” 


TENTH DAY. 


X Thess. iv. 
J 7* 


#nittg /nrt!r mity tjjt ling. 

Sam.xix. “The king said, Wherefore wentcst 
“5* thou not with me?” 

. v .. “ TT 7 ITH me ! ” To be with 

4 VV our King will be our high- 
est bliss for eternity; and surely it 
is the position of highest honor and 
gladness now. But if we would always be with 
Him, we must sometimes be ready to go with 
Him. 

“ The Son of God goes forth to war ” nowa¬ 
days. Do we go with Him ? His cross is 
“without the gate.” Do we go ‘‘forth unto 
Heb. xiiL 12, Him without the camp, bearing His 
I3 ' reproach ? ” Do we really go with 

Him every day and all day long, following 
“the Lamb whithersoever He go- 
eth ? ” What about this week—thia 
(40) 


Rev. xiv. 4. 



GOING FORTH WITH THE KING. 


day? Have we loyally gone with our King 
wherever His banner, His footsteps, 
go before ? 

If the voice of our King is heard in oui 
hearts, “ Wherefore wentest thou not with me ’ 
—thou who hast eaten “continu¬ 
ally at the King’s table ”—thou who 
hast had a place among “ the King’s 
sons ”—thou unto whom the King 
has shown “ the kindness of God,” 
we have no “ because*” to offer. 

He would have healed the spiritual 
lameness that hindered, and we 
might have run after Him. We are 
without excuse. 

It is only now that we can go with Jesus into 
conflict, suffering, loneliness, weariness. It is 
only now that we can come to the help of the 
Lord against the mighty in this great judges v. 23 . 
battle-field. Shall we shrink from op- Luke xi - 2 3* 
portunities which are not given to the angels ? 
Surely, even with Him in glory, the disciples 
must “ remember the words of the 
Lord Jesus, how He said ” to them, 

‘Ye are they which have continued L uk exxn.a8 


i Pet. ii. ai, 


a Sara. ix. 13. 


Ib. ix. 11. 


Ib. ix. 


2 Sam. xix. 
26. 

Cant. i. 4. 


Acts 


xx. 35. 


42 


MY KING. 


with, me in my temptations,” with a thrill of 
rapturous thanksgiving that such a privilege 
was theirs. 

There will be no more sufferirg with Him in 

1 Tim ii 12 ^ eaven » only reigning with Him ; no 

more fighting under His banner, 
Rev iii 21 on ty with Hi m on His throne. 

But to-day we may prove our loving 
and grateful allegiance to our King in the pres¬ 
ence of His enemies by rising up and going 
forth with Him—forth from a life of easy idle¬ 
ness or selfish business—forth into whatever 
form of blessed fellowship in His work, His 

2 Cor. vi. i. wars, or, it may be, of His sufferings, 
Phil. iii. 10. the King Himself may choose for us. 
We have heard His call, “ Come unto me.” 
Cant. iv. 8. To-day He says, “ Come me." 

True-hearted, whole-hearted; Faithful and loyal, 
King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be ! 

Under Thy standard exalted and royal, 

Strong in Thy strength we will battle for Thee ! 


ELEVENTH LAY. 


'€§t Iraiting nf tljr Hing. 

" I will smite the king only.” 2 Sam.xvii. i 

[ T may be that this futile threat of a wicked 
man against the king was like the saying of 
Caiaphas—“ not of himself,” but John xi. 5 i. 
written for our learning “ more about Rom - xv - 4 * 
Jesus.” A deadly stroke was to be aimed at 
“ the king only,” for he was “ worth Cf x Kings 
ten thousand ” of the people; if he xxii - 
were smitten, they should escape. 2 am - xvm * 3 
Do the words of David in another place tell of 
his great Antitype’s desire that it should be so ? 
“ Let Thine hand, I pray Thee, O x chron. xxi 
Lord my God, be on me, .... but 17 ' 
not on Thy people.” “ For the ^ 
transgression of my people was the 
stroke upon Him ” (margin) ; therefore not 
upon us, never upon us. The lightning that 

( 43 ) 



44 


M V KING. 


strikes the conductor instead of the building 
* to which it is joined, has spent its fiery force 
and strikes no more. 

Not the hand of an impotent foe, but the 
sharp sword of the omnipotent Lord of hosts, 
Zech. xiii. 7 . was lifted to smite His Shepherd— 
Heb. xiii. 90. our Shepherd-king, The Great, The 
1 Pet. v. 4. Chief, The Good (and the Beautiful, 
John x. 11. as the original implies). Think of 
isa. liii. 4. the words, “ stricken, smitten of 
1 Pet. i. 8. God,” with their unknown depths of 
agony, and then of Jesus, Him whom we love, 
fathoming those black depths of agony alone! 
. , ... “ Jesus smitten of God! ” can we 

even say the words, and not feel 
moved as no other grief could move us ? Do 
not let us shrink from dwelling upon it; let us 
rather ask the Holy Spirit, even now, to show 
us a little of what this awful smiting really was 
—to show us our dear Lord Jesus Christ, in 
John xv. 13. this tremendous proving of His own 
Rom. v. 8 . and His Father’s love—to whisper 
in our hearts as we gaze upon the Crucified 
John xix. 14. One, “ Behold your King ! ” 

“The King only.” For “by Himself He 


THE SMITING OF THE KING. 45 

purged our sins.” Certainly we had Heb . 
nothing to do with it then ! certainly 
no other man or means had anything to do with 
it! and certainly nothing and no one now can 
touch that great fact, so far out of reach of 
human quibbling and meddling, that Jesus 
“ His own self, bare our sins in His 1 Pet. ii. 24. 
own body on the tree.” Is not the 
fact that He “ with whom we have Heb * iv * x 3 - 
to do ” was smitten of God instead of us, enough ? 
What else can we want to guarantee our salva¬ 
tion ? 

“ The King only f For the sorrow of our 
King is shared with His people; but in the 
smiting we have no part. We can only stand 
“ afar off,” bowed and hushed in Matt . xxvii< 
shuddering love, as the echoes of the ss * 
awful stripes that fell on Him float down 
through the listening centuries, while each 
throb of the healed heart replies, _ .... 

r Isa. lui. 5. 

“ For me ! for me ! ” 

“ I have trodden the wine-press 
gUonc, and of the people there was 
none with me.” 


Isa. hriii. 3. 


TWELFTH DAY. 


$ljt Itnsjjip nf ijjt ling. 

■ Sam. xix. 42. “ The king is near of kin to us.” 

~VT OT only in the Prophet raised up “ from 
the midst of thee, of thy brethren,” and 
in the High-Priest, “ thy brother,” 
“ taken from among men,” do we 
see the kinship of Christ; but in 
the divinely chosen King the same 
wonderful link is given — “ One 
from among thy brethren shalt thou 
set king over thee: thou mayest not set a 
stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.” 

How very close this brings us to our glorious 
Lord ! And yet, when we have exhausted all 
that is contained in the very full and dear idea 
of “ brother,” we are led beyond, to realize One 
Pro, xviii. who sticketh closer than a brother,” 
a4 ' because no earthly relationship ca* 

(46) 


Deut. xviii. 

15. 

Ex. xxviii. 1. 
Heb. v. 1. 

Ps. Ixxxix. 19. 

Deut. xvii. 
IS- 



THE KINSHIP OF THE KING . 4; 

entirely shadow forth what Jesus is. And 
whatever relationship we most value or most 
miss, will be the very one which, whether by 
possession or loss, will show us most of Him, 
and yet fall short of His “reality.’' For we 
always have to go beyond the type to reach 
the antitype. 

The King is so “ near of kin,” that we may 
come to Him as the tribes of Israel did, and 
say, “ Behold, we are Thy bone and ^ gam v i 
Thy flesh; ” finding many a sweet 
endorsement of the type in His Eph ' v ’ 3 °" 
Word. So near of kin, that He is “ in all 
things ” “ made like unto His breth- TT .. 

0 ... Heb. 11. 17. 

ren; ” and whatever is included in 

the flesh and blood of which we are partakers, 

sin only excepted, “ He also Himself _ .. 

. , lb. 11.14. 

likewise took part of the same. 

So “ near of kin to us,” and yet God! There¬ 
fore every good thing that we find in neal 
human relationships, we shall find in Jesus in 
the immeasurable proportion of the divine to 
the human. Is not this worth thinking out, 
each for ourselves?—worth seeking to entei 
into ? 


48 


MY KING. 


Matt. xii. 50. 


But will He acknowledge the kinship ? lit 
hath said, “ Whosoever shall do the 
will of my Father which is in heaven, 
the same is my brother and sister and mother.” 
“ How beautiful to be Christ’s little sister! ” 
said a young disciple. For of course He really 
means it. Will not this make our prayer 
^ .... more fervent, “ Teach me to do Thy 

Ps. cxlm. 10. . 

Will ? ” 

If the King is indeed near of kin to us, the 
royal likeness will be recognizable. Can it be 
said of us, “As thou art, so were 
they; each one resembled the chil¬ 
dren of a king ? ” Nor let us shrink from aim¬ 
ing at the still higher standard, 
“ The King’s daughter is all glorious 


J udg. viii. 18. 


Ps. xlv. 13. 


within." 

We must not dwell only on a one-sided kin- 

Heb ii 11 ^P* ^ ** ^e * S n0t as ^ ame( i to 

call ” us “ brethren,” shall we ever 
be ashamed to call Him Master? If He is 
ready to give us all that is implied or involved 
in near kinship, should we fail to reciprocate 
with all the love and sympathy and faithfulness 
which the tie demands on our side ? 


THE KINSHIP OP THE KING ,. 


49 


Also, if we do realize this great privilege, 
let us prove our loyal love to our Brother-King 
by “looking for and hasting unto aPet ... jg 
the coming of the day ” of His re¬ 
turn. Lei; us not incur the touching reproach, 
“Ye are my brethren, ye are my 2 Sam. xi*. 
bones and my flesh : wherefore then xa ‘ 
are ye the last to bring back the King ? ” 

Joined to Christ in mystic union, 

We Thy members, Thou our Head 
Sealed by deep and’true communion 
Risen with Thee, who once were dead— 
Saviour, we would humbly claim 
All the power of this Thy name. 

Instant sympathy to brighten 
All their weakness and their woe, 

Guiding grace their way to lighten, 

Shall Thy loving members know. 

All their sorrows Thou (lost bear, 

All Thy gladness they shall share. 

Everlasting life Thou givest. 

Everlasting love to see ; 

They shall live because Thou livest. 

And their life is hid with Thee. 

Safe Thy members shall be found. 

When their glorious Head is crowned 1 


THIRTEENTH DAY. 


€j)t ®tsin nf tin ling. 

P» xlv n “ g featl y desire thj 

beauty.” 

AN this be for us ? What beauty have we 
J that the King can desire? For the more 
. we have seen of His beauty, the 

more we have seen of our own utter 
ugliness. What, then, can He see ? “ My 

Ezek. xvi. i 4 . comeliness which I had put upon 
p s .xc.i 7 . thee.” “The beauty of the Lord 

Ps cxi« our ^od u P on us ” For “ 

beautify, the meek with salvation.” 
And so the desire of the King is set upon us. 

Perhaps we have had the dreary idea, “ No¬ 
body wants me! ” We never need grope in 
that gloom again, when the King Himself de¬ 
sires us! This desire is love active, love in 
glow, love going forth, love delighting and 
(50) 



THE DESIRE OF THE KING. 51 

longing. It is the strongest representation of 
the love of Jesus—something far beyond the 
ove of pity of compassion ; it is taking pleas* 
ure in His people; delighting in Ps . cx n x . 4> 
them ; willing (*>., putting forth the i sa . lxii. 4 . 
grand force of His will) that they johnxvii.24 
should be with Him where He is, Ib - xii - 26. 
with Him now, with Him always. It is the 
love that does not and will not endure sepa¬ 
ration—the love that can not do without its ob¬ 
ject. "So shall the King desire thy beauty.” 

He gave us a glimpse of this gracious fervor 
when He said, “With desire I have „ , 

, . , . . . , Lukexxii. 15. 

desired to eat this passover with 
you before I suffer.” With Gethsemane and 
Calvary in fullest view, His heart’s desire was 
to spend those few last hours in closest inter¬ 
course with His disciples. " So ” did He de¬ 
sire them. 

Now, if we take the King at His word, and 
really believe that He thus desires us, can we 
possibly remain cold-hearted and indifferent to 
Him ? Can we bear the idea of disappointing 
His love— such love—and meeting it with any 
such pale, cool response as would wound any 


52 


MY KING. 


human heart, “ I do not know whether I love 
you or not!” 

Oh, do let us leave off morbidly looking to 
see exactly how much we love (which is just 
like trying to warm ourselves with a thermome¬ 
ter, and perhaps only ends in doubting whether 
„. we love at all), and look straight 

Heb. xu. a. . ° 

away at His love and His desire ! 
Think of Jesus actually wanting you, really 
desiring your love, not satisfied with all the 
love of all the angels and saints unless you love 
Him too—needing that little drop to fill His cup 
of joy ! Is there no answering throb, no re¬ 
sponsive glow ? 

“ Lord, let the glow of Thy great love 
Through my whole being shine ! ” 

Perhaps it is upon the emphatic “ so” as 
pointing to the context, that the intensity of 
the emphatic “ greatly ” hinges. It is when 
r- xiv io ^ride forgets her own people 

and her father’s house — that is, 
»\ hen her life and love are altogether given to 
tiei Roya. Bridegroom—that He “ shall greatly 


THE DESIRE OF THE KING. 


S3 


desire” her beauty. When His glorious beauty 
has so filled our eyes, and His incomprehensible 
love has so filled our hearts, that He 
is first and most and dearest of all— 
when we can say not merely, “ The , . „ 

desire of our souls is to Thy name,” 
but “ There is none upon earth that 
I desire beside Thee ”—when thus 
we are, to the very depth of our being, really 
and entirely our Beloved’s, then we may add, 
in solemn, wondering gladness, Cant ^ ^ 
“And His desire is toward me.” 


Eph. iii. 19. 


Ps. lxxiii. 25. 


O love surpassing thought, 

So bright, so grand, so clear, so true, so glorious ; 
Love infinite, love tender, love unsought, 

Love changeless, love rejoicing, love victorious ! 

And this great love for us in boundless store; 
Christ’s everlasting love ! What wouldst thou more l 


FOURTEENTH DAY. 


€j|t frcptre nf tljt ling. 


Esth. viii. 4- 


“ The king held out the golden scep« 


tre.” 


J ESUS is He “ that holdeth the 
sceptre ”—the symbol first of 
kingly right and authority, and next of righte¬ 
ousness and justice. “ A sceptre of 
righteousness is the sceptre of Thy 
kingdom ”—“ a right sceptre.’' And 
yet the golden sceptre was held out 
as the sign of sovereign mercy to one who, by 
„ , . “ one law of his to put him to death,” 

Esth. iv. ii. ... 

must otherwise have perished, that 
he may live.” Thus, by the combination of 
direct statement and type, we are shown in this 
figure the beautiful, perfect meeting of the 
( 54 ^ 


Heb. L 8. 


Ps. xlv. 6. 



THE SCEPTRE OF THE KING . 


55 


‘ mercy and truth” of our King, p s .ixxxv. 10 
the “ righteousness and peace ” of Ib - Ixxii - *♦ * 
His kingdom. 

Again and again the Holy Ghost repeats this 
grand blending of seemingly antagonistic at¬ 
tributes, confirming to us in many 

. . , J Hcb. vi. 18. 

ways this strong consolation. 

How precious the tiny word and becomes as 
we read, “He is just, and having Zec h.ix. 9 . 
salvation.” u A merciful and faith- Heb. ii. t 7 . 
ful High-Priest.” “A just God and Isa * xlv * 21 * 
a Saviour.” We do not half value God’s little 
words. 

To “the King’s enemies,” the p s .xiv.5. 
sceptre is a “ rod of iron ” (for the Ib - “• 9- 
word is the same in Hebrew). They can not 
rejoice in the justice which they defy. To 
the King’s willing subjects it is in- ^ d 
deed golden—a beautiful thing and 
a most precious thing. We admire Rev xv. 3i4 
and glory in His absolute justice and isa. xi. 5. 
righteousness; it satisfies the depths Ps ‘ CX1X-16+ 
of our moral being—it is so strong, so perfect 

His justice is, if we may reverently say so, 
the strong point of His atoning work. The 


MY KING. 


56 


Matt. v. 17. 

John xvii. 4 
Isa. xlii. 21. 

1 John i. 9. 


costly means of our redemption were paid foi 
iChron. xxi. « a t the f u q price.” He fulfilled the 
law. There was nothing wanting in 
all the work which His Father gave 
Him to do. He finished it. And 
His Father was satisfied. Thus He 
was just toward His Father, that 
He might be faithful and just to 
forgive us our sins. It is no weak compassion, 
merely wrought on by misery, but strong, grand, 
infinite, and equal justice and mercy, balanced, 
as they never are in human minds. For only 
the ways of the Lord are thus 
“ equal.” 

And oh, how “ sweet is Thy mer¬ 
cy ! ” and just because of the jus¬ 
tice, how “ sure! ” Esther said, “ Tf 
I perish, I perish.” So need not we, 
“ for His mercy endureth forever.' 
And so, every time we come into the audience 
chamber of our King, we know that 
the golden sceptre will be held out to 
us, first, “ that we may live,” and 
then for favor after favor. “ I^et us 
therefore come boldly unto the 


Ezek. xviii. 
25 - 

Ps. cix. 20, 

P. B. V. 

Isa. lv. 3. 
Esth. iv. 16. 
Ps. cxxxvi. 1. 


Cant. i. 4. 

Esth. v. 2. 
iv. 11, vi 
3 * 4 - 


Heb. iv. 16. 


THE SCEPTRE OF THE KING. 5; 

throne of grace, tha. we may obtain mercy, and 
find grace to help in time of need ”—not stand 
afar off and think about it, and keep our King 
vaiting; but, like Esther, “let us Heb. *. 22 
draw near ” and “ touch the top of Esth * v - • 
the sceptre.” 





FIFTEENTH DAY. 


a 8«ua. xx. a. 


droning tn iijr Htng. 

“The men of Judah clave unto theii 
king.” 


F OR it is not a matter of course that com¬ 
ing is followed by cleaving. Even when 
the King Himself, in His veiled royalty, walked 
and talked with His few faithful followers, 
„ , . „ “ many of His disciples went back, 

John vi. 66. J r 

and walked no more with Him.’ 
There was no word of indignation or reproach, 
only the appeal of infinite pathos from His 
gracious lips, “Will ye also go 
away ? ” 

J^et this sound in our ears to-day, not only 
in moments of temptation to swerve from 
truest - hearted loyalty and service, but all 
through the business of the day; stirring our 
too easy-going resting into active cleaving j 
( 58 ) 


lb. vi. 67. 



CLEA VING TO THE KING. 


59 

quickening our following afar off into M att. xxi i. 

following hard after Him; rousing * 8 ‘ 

, . ° Ps. lxm. 8. 

us to add to the blessed assurance, x chron. xii. 

“ Thine are we, David! ” the bolder l8 ’ 
and nobler position, “and on Thy side!'* 

For this cleaving is not a mere terrified 
clinging for safety—it is the bright, brave reso¬ 
lution, strengthened, not weakened, by the sight 
of waverers or renegades, to be on 

n 7 a Sam. xv. ai 

His side, come what may, because 
He is our King, because we love Him, because 
His cause and His kingdom are so very dear to 
us. 

We can not thus cleave without loosening 
from other interests. But what matter! Let 
us be noble for Jesus, like the men of might 
who “ separated themselves unto i chron. xi». 
David,” and who “ held strongly x ®’ hron xJ 
with him in his kingdom.” Shall *°, marg. 
we be mean enough to aim at less, when it is 
our Lord Jesus who would have us 
entirely “ with Him ? ” 

It is, after all, the easiest and safest course. 
The especial friends and “ the 

i Kings l 8. 

mighty men which belonged to Da¬ 
vid,” not only did not follow the usurping 


60 MY KING. 

Adonijah, but they were never tempted to do 
so. “ But me, even me thy servant, 
i Kings 1.26. hath he not called.” There 

is many a temptation, very powerful and dan¬ 
gerous to a camp-follower, which the enemy 
knows it is simply useless to present to one of 
Matt. vi. 13. the body-guard. Our Father leads 
1 Sam. xxii. us “ not into temptation,” when He 
23 ' leads us closer to Jesus. 

The Bible never speaks of “good resolu- 
... tions,” but again and again of “ pur- 
pose. And this is what we want, 
that “ with purpose of heart ” we should 
“ cleave unto the Lord.” Have we 

Acts xi. 23. . .. _ _ __ 

this distinct purpose to-day? Do 
josh. xxii. s, we really mean , God helping us, to 
xxm - 8 - cleave to our King to-day ? Do not 
let us dare to go forth to the certain conflicts 
and temptations of the day with this negative 
but real disloyalty of want of purpose in the 
, , ... matter. And “ if our heart con- 

1 John m. 20. 

demn us, let us at once turn to 
. ... Him who says, “ I have caused to 

Jer. xni. ix. J 

cleave unto me the whole house of 
Israel.” His grace shall enable us to cleave 
unto our King. 


SIXTEENTH DAY. 




|ng nf tlji ling. 


“David the king also rejoiced with , cfcron. 


great joy.” 


xxix. 9 



r\0 not let us think of the joy of our King 
over Jlis people as only future. While 
we can not look forward too much to the day 
when He shall present us “ faultless . , 

1 # Jude 24. 

before the presence of His glory 
with exceeding joy,” let us not overlook the 
present gladness which we, even we, who have 
so often grieved Him, may give to our King. 

Elsewhere we hear of the joy of angels over 
repenting sinners; here we have a , , 

D 7 . Luke xv. no. 


glimpse of the joy of the King of 
angels over His consecrated ones. Look at 
the whole passage—it is full of typical light¬ 
ed let us take it “ for our learn- 


• ^ ft 

mg. 


Rom. xv. 4. 


(6l) 



62 


MY KING. 


Chron. 
xxix. 5. 


“Who, then, is willing to oonse* 
crate his service this day unto the 
Lord? ” Silence is negative here : there must 
be a definite heart-response if we are willing. 
Are you ? If so, when ? The King’s question 
says nothing of some day, but of “ this day.” 
And the question is put to you: if never be¬ 
fore, it is sounding in your ears now. Shall 
josh. xxir. your service be His, “ this day,” and 
I5 ’ henceforth ? or not 1 

The result of willing consecration of our¬ 
selves and our service is always joy. “ The 
1 chron. people rejoiced, for tTiat they of- 

xxix. 9 . f erec l willingly; ” but was it not fai 

more, far sweeter, that their king “ also re¬ 
joiced with great joy? ” How they must have 
felt when he said, “ Now have I seen 
with joy Thy people which are pres¬ 
ent here, to offer willingly unto Thee! ” 

For when a heart and life are willingly of¬ 
fered and fully surrendered to Him, He sees 
of “ the travail of His soul ” in it; it 
is a new accomplishment of the work 
which He came to do: and what then ? He 
“ is satisfied.” If motive were want¬ 
ing to yield ourselves unto Him 


lb. xxix. 17. 


Isa. liii. 11. 


Rom. ri. 13. 


THE JOY OF THE KING. 63 

would it net be more than supplied by the 
thought that it will be satisfaction and joy to 
Him “who loved us and washed us „ 

. Rev. 1. 5. 

from our sms in His own blood ? ” 

It seems just the one blessed opportunity given 

to us of being His true cup-bearers, 

c r • • .7. • r • i Kings *• 5 ' 

of bringing the wine of joy to oui 

King; and in so doing He will make v s . xxiii. 5 . 

our own cups to run over. 

As our own hearts are filled with the intense 

joy of consecration- to our Lord, a yet intenser 

glow will come as we remember that His joy is 

greater than ours, for He is anointed “with 

the oil of gladness above ” His _ 

D Ps. tv. 7. 

“fellows.” 

Shall not “ this day ” be “ the day 

J . Cant. in. 11. 

of the gladness of His heart? Will 
you not consecrate your service to- , Chron> 
day unto Him ? For then “ He 5 - 
will save, He will rejoice over thee Zeph * 1U ‘ I7< 
wi v .h joy; He will rest in His love; He wiJi 
joy over thee with singing.” 


Take myself, and I will be, 
Ever, only, all for Thee I 


SEVENTEENTH DAY. 


Ebb t nn tjjB ©nri nf tjjt Bing. 


, Sam. xiv “ The word of my lord the king shall 


now be for rest ” {margin). 



ERE is the whole secret of rest from the 


I—L very beginning to the very end. The 
j vord of our King is all we have and all we need 
tor deep, utter heart-rest, which no surface 
jobxxxiv.29. waves of this troublesome world can 
Isa. xiv. 3. disturb. What gave “ rest from thy 
sorrow and from thy fear” at the very first, 
when we wanted salvation and peace? It was 
not some vague, pleasing impression, some un- 
definable hush that came to us (or if it was, 
Ecci viii 4. unreality of the rest was soon 

1 Tim. i. 15. proved), but some word of our King 
• Thess. ii. which we saw to be worthy of ail 
acceptation; we believed it, and by 

i<ck iv. 2,3. . T 

it Jesus gave us rest. 

There is no other means of rest for all ths 


(64) 



REST ON THE WORD OF THE KING. 65 

way but the very same The moment we 
simply believe any word of the King, 
we find that it is truly “ for rest ” Mark * 3 ’ 
about the point to which it refers. And if we 
would but go o?i taking the King’s word about 
every single thing, we should always find it, 
then and there, “ for rest.” Every flutter of 
unrest may, if we look honestly into it, be 
traced to not entirely and absolutely taking the 
King’s word. His words are enough for rest at 
all times, and in all circumstances; therefore 
we are sinning the great sin of unbelief when¬ 
ever we allow ourselves in any phase of unrest. 
It is not infirmity, but sin, to neglect to make 
use of the promises which He meant „ _ 

* . Heb. VI. 18. 

for our strong consolation and con¬ 
tinual help. And we ought not to acquiesce in 
the shadows which are only around us, because 
we do not hear, or hearing do not heed, God’s 
call into the sunshine. 

Take the slightest and commonest instance**. 
If we have an entire and present belief in “ Mj 
grace is sufficient for thee,” or, “ lo, # Cor xii ^ 

I am with you alway,” should we Matt, xxviii. 
feel nervous at anything He calls us ** 

5 


66 


MY KING. 


to do for Him? Would not that word bt 
indeed “ for rest ” in the moment of need— 
Phil. iv. i 9 . “ rest from the hard bondage ” of 

i»a. xiv. 3. service to which we feel unequal / 
Heb. iv. 16. jjave we not sometimes found it so, 
and if so, why not always? I see nothing 
about “ sometimes ” in any of His promises. If 
we have an entire and' present belief that “ all 
Rom.viii.28. things work together for good,” or 
p s . cvii. 7. that He leads us “ forth by the right 
way,” should we feel worried when some one 
thing seems to work wrong, and some one yard 
of the way is not what we think straightest? 

_ _ .. We lean upon the word of the 

1 John 11. 25. A 

King for everlasting life, why not 
for daily life also ? For it shall “ now be for 
rest; ” only try it to-day, “ now,” and see if it 
shall not be so! When He says “ perfect 
isa. xxvi. 3. peace,” He can not mean imperfect 
tChron. peace. “The people rested them- 
xxxn * 8 ‘ selves upon the words of Hezekiah, 
king of Juda,h.” Just so simply let us rest up- 
r.o the words of our King, Jesus 1 


EIGHTEENTH DAY. 


€1 )t Unsira nf % ling. 


* The king’s business required haste.” x Sam. x». & 
ND yet there is no other business about 



which average Christians take it so easy. 
They “ must ” go their usual round, 

, t • i . Luke xiv. 20. 

they must write their letters, they 
“ must ” pay off their visits and other social 
claims, they “ must ” do 'all that is expected of 
them; and then, after this and that . 
and the other thing is cleared off, * a ‘ 59, u 
they will do what they can of the King’s busi¬ 
ness. They do not say “ must ” about that, 
unless it is some part of His business which is 
undertaken at second-hand, and with more 
sense of responsibility to one’s clergyman than 
to one’s King. Is this being faithful 
and loyal and single-hearted? If it Eph * VU5, ^ 
has been so, oh, let it be so no more! Hotf 


(67) 



68 


M V KING. 


Matt xvii.8. can “Jesus Only ” be our motto, 
lb. vi. 33- when we have not even said “ Jesui 
first t ” 

The King’s business requires haste. It is 
always pressing, and may never be put off. 
Much of it has to do with souls which may be 
in eternity to-morrow; and with op- 

Luke xii. 20. . . J . . . ’ _ r 

portunities which are gone forever 
if not used then and there; there is no “ con- 
Actsxxiv.25. venient season” for it but “ to-day.” 
Heb. iii. 13. Often it is not really done at all, be¬ 
cause it is not done in the spirit of holy haste. 
We meet an unconverted friend again and again, 
and beat about the bush, and think to gain 
quiet influence and make way gradually, and 
call it judicious not to be in a hurry, when the 
real reason is that we are wanting in holy 
eagerness and courage to do the King’s true 
business with that soul, and in nine such cases 
out of ten nothing ever comes out of it; but 
1 Kings xx. “As thy servant was busy here and 
*°- there, he was gone.” Have we not 

found it so ? 

Delay in the Lord’s errands is next to dis¬ 
obedience, and generally springs out of it, oi 


THE BUSINESS OF THE KING. 69 

issues in it. “ God commanded me 3 Chron 
to make haste.” Let us see to it xxxv - 81 
that we can say, “ I made haste, and Ps * cxut ' 60 
delayed not to keep Thy commandments.” 

We never know what regret and punishment 
delay in the King’s business may bring upon 
ourselves. Amasa “ tarried longer g 
than the set time which he (the king) 2 aw ' 5 * 
had appointed him,” and the result was death 
to himself. Contrast the result in Abigail’s 
case, where, except she had hasted, , Saa> ^ 
her household would have perished. 34< 

We find four rules for doing the King’s busi¬ 
ness in His word. We are to do it—first, 
“ Heartily; ” second, “ Diligently; ” Col. iii. 23. 
third, “Faithfully;” fourth, “Speed- ^vii. 23 . 
ily.” Let us ask Him to give us xxxiv.12. 
the grace of energy to apply them Ezravu - 21 - 
this day to whatever He indicates as our part 
of His business, remembering that He said 
“I must be about my Father’s Lukeii. 49 . 
business.” Johnix. 4 . 

Especially in that part of it which is between 
Himself and ourselves alone, let us never delay. 
Oh, the incalculable blessings that we hav« 


M Y KING. 


7 o 

alieady lost by putting off our own dealings 
Sam. xxv. with our King! Abigail first “ made^ 
l8 - haste ” to meet David for mere 

safety; soon afterward, she again “ hasted ana 
arose and went after the messengers 
of David, and became his wife.” 
Thus hasting, we shall rise from privilege to 
privilege, and “ go from strength tc 
strength.” 


lb. 


. 42. 


Ps. lxxxiv. 7. 


What shall be our word for Jesus? Master, give it 
day by day; 

Ever as the need arises, teach Thy children what to 
say. 

Give us holy love and patience ; grant us deep hu¬ 
mility, 

That of self we may be emptied, and our hearts be full 
of Thee; 

Give us zeal and faith and fervor, make us winning, 
make us wise, 

Single-hearted, strong and fearless ;—Thou hast called 
us, we will rise 1 

Let the might of Thy good Spirit go with every loving 
word; 

And by hearts prepared and opened, be our messagff 
always heard ! 


NINETEENTH DAY. 


€1u toMra nf ifit ling’s ^irnmits. 

“Thy servants are ready to do whatso- aSam ^ 
ver my lord the king shall appoint. 0 


T HIS is the secret of steady and unruffled 
gladness in “ the business of 
the Lord, and the service of the 
King,” whether we are “over the 
treasures of the house of God,” or 
“ for the outward business over 
Israel.” 

It makes all the difference! If we are really 
and always, and equally ready to do 
whatsoever the King appoints, all the 
trials and vexations arising from any change in 
His appointments, great or small, simply do not 
exist. If He appoints me to work there, shall 

(7i) 


i Chron. 
xxvi. 30. 


Ib. xxvi 20. 


Ib. xxvi. 29. 


John ii. 5 



72 


MY KING. 


I lament that I am not to work here i 

Tosh. i. 16. . . . . 

If He appoints me to wait m-dooTS 
to-day, am I to be annoyed because I am not 
to work out-of-doors ? If I meant to write His 
messages this morning, shall I grumble because 
He sends interrupting visitors, rich or poor, to 
whom I am to speak them, or “ show 

Sam. ix. 3. . 

kindness ” for His sake, or at least 
« Pet. iii. 8 . obey His command, “ Be courte- 
ftom. vi. 13. ous ? » If all my « members ” are 
really at His disposal, why should I be put out 
if to-day’s appointment is some simple work 
for my hands or errands for my feet, instead 
of some seemingly more important doing of 
head or tongue ? 

Does it seem a merely ideal life ? Try it! 
begin at once; before you venture away from 
this quiet moment, ask your King to take you 
“ wholly ” into His service, and place all the 
hours of this day quite simply at His disposal, 
and ask Him to make and keep you ready to 
do just exactly what He appoints. 
as. iv. 14. ]\j ever m i a d about to-morrow; one 
day at a time is enough. Try it to-day, and 
cse if i' is now a day of strange, almost curiom 


THE KING’S SER VANTS. 


73 


peace, so sweet that you will be only too thank¬ 
ful, when to-morrow comes, to ask Him to take 
it also—till it will become a blessed habit to 
hold yourself simply and “ wholly at , C hron. 
Thy commandment ” “ for any me n- xxvm - 
ner of service.” 

Then will come, too, an indescribable and 
unexpected sense of freedom, and i total relief 
from the self-imposed bondage of “ having to 
get through” what we think lies before us. 
For “of the children of Israel did x Kings h. 
Solomon make no bondmen.” 22, 

Then, too, by thus being ready, moment by 
moment, for whatsoever He shall appoint, we 
realize very much more that we are not left 
alone, but that we are dwelling “ with , Chron< iv. 
the King for His work.” Thus the 23> 
very fact of an otherwise vexatious 

. , . Ps. cxxxix. 5. 

interruption is transmuted into a 
precious proof of the nearness of the King. 
His interference implies His interest and His 
presence. 

The “ whatsoever ” is not necessarily active 
work. It may be waiting (whether half an 
hour or half a life-time), learning, sufferirg, sit 


74 


MY KING . 


ting still. But, dear fellow-servants of 4 my 
Lord the King,” shall we be less ready foi 
these, if any of them are His appointments 
for to-day ? “ Whatsoever the king 

* Sam, did pj ease( j a jj t jj e people/’ 

“ Ready ” implies something of preparation 
—not being taken by surprise. So let us ask 
Him to prepare us for all that He is preparing 
s Chron. for us. And may “ the hand of God 
jcxx. 12. gj ve » ug « one heart t0 ^0 the com* 
inandment of the Kin g! ” 

“ Lord, I have given my life to Thee, 

And every day and hour is Thine ; 

What Thou appointest let them be ; 

Thy will is better, Lord, than mine.” 

—A. L. Waring 


TWENTIETH DAY. 


<®|lt /riiniislrip nf tjji ling. 


“ He that loveth pureness of heart, for p tov . xni. 
the grace of his lips the king shall be his 11 
friend.” 



HO can say, I have made 
my heart clean, I am 


pure ? ” Who must not despair of Hab . 
the friendship of the King if this 
were the condition ? But His wonderful con¬ 
descension in promising His friendship bends 
yet lower in its tenderly-devised condition. 

Not to the absolutely pure in heart, „ 

’ Matt-▼. 8- 

but to the perhaps very sorrowfully 
longing lover of that pureness come the gra¬ 
cious words, " The King shall be his Friend. 

Yet there must be some proof of this love 
and it is found in “ the grace of his lips.’ 
“ For out of the abundance of the „ 

Matt. x:i. 44 

heart, the mouth speaketh.” Here, 


( 75 ) 



Col, iv. 6. 
Matt. xii. 36. 


Ps. xlv. a. 

Luke iv. 22. 
John vii. 46 


76 MY KING. 

again, we stop and question our claim; for oui 
speech has not always been “with 
grace; ” and the memory of many a 
graceless and idle word rises to baf 
it. How, then, shall the King be our Friend ? 

Another word comes to our help: 
“ Grace is poured into thy lips ”— 
grace that overflowed in gracious 
words, such as never man spake, 
perfectly holy and beautiful; and 
we look up to our King and plead that He has 
Himself fulfilled the condition in which we 
have failed—that this is part of the righteous¬ 
ness which He wrought for us, and which is 

r » HL 22 reall y unt0 US an< ^ u P on us, because 
we believe in Him; and so, for the 
grace of His own lips, the King shall be our 
Friend. 

Who has not longed for an ideal and yet a 
real friend—one who should exactly 
understand us, to whom we could 
tell everything, and in whom we 
could altogether confide—one who should be 
Rev. xix. 11. very wise and very true—one of 
John xiii. 1. whose love and unfailing interest we 


Ps. cxxxix. 2, 
Mark vi. 30. 


THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE KING. 


77 


Matt, xxviii. 
20. 

Ps. xl. 17. 
Ib. Ivii. 2. 
Isa. xxxviii. 
14. 

Zeph. iii. 5. 
Mai. iii. 6 . 
Heb. vii. 24. 


Pet. ▼. 7. 


could be certain ? There are other points foi 
which we could not hope—that this friend 
should be very far above us, and yet the very 
nearest and dearest, always with us, 
always thinking of us, always doing 
kind and wonderful things for us; 
undertaking and managing every¬ 
thing ; forgetting nothing, failing in 
nothing; quite certain never to 
change and never to die—so that 
this one grand friendship should fill 
our lives, and that we really never 
need trouble about anything for 
ourselves any more at all. 

Such is our Royal Friend, and more; for no 
human possibilities of friendship can illustrate 
what He is to those to whom He 
says, “Ye are my friends.” We, 
even we, may look up to our glori¬ 
ous King, our Lord and our God, 
and say, “This is my Beloved, and 
this is my Friend! ” And then we, even we, 
may claim the privilege of being , ChroIU 
u the King’s companion ” and the xxvu - 33> 
‘King’s friend.” x Kings iv. 5 


John xv. 14. 

Ib. xx. 28. 
Cant v. 16. 


TWENTY-FIRST DAY 


ligjjt nf tjji Hing’s Cnnntwnntf. 


Prov *vi is “ ^ nt ^ e Ag * 11 °f l ^ e king’s countenance 
is life.” 


B UT first fell the solemn words, “ Thou 
hast set our secret sins in the light of Thy 
countenance.” That was the first we 
knew of its brightness; and to some 
its revelation has been so terrible, that they 
can even understand how the Lord “ shall 
destroy ” the wicked “ with the 
brightness of His coming.” Yet, 
though we feel that “ His eyes were 
as a flame of fire,” we found also 
that our “ King that sineth in the 
throne of judgment, scattereth away all evil 
with His eyes; ” and that it was when we stood 
(78) 


Ps. xc. 8. 


« Thess. ii. 8. 

Rev. i. 14. 
Prov. xx. 8. 



THE KING'S COUNTENANCE. 


79 


Ps. lxxxix. is- 


in that light, that we found the power of the 
precious blood of Jesus, the An- lJohni7 
ointed One, to clean&e us from all sin. 

This gives new value to the promise, “ They 
shall walk, O Lord, in the light of 
Thy countenance; ” for it is when 
tre walk in the light that we may claim and do 
realize the fullness of its power and precious¬ 
ness—not for fitful and occasional cleansing, 
but for a glorious, perpetual, present cleansing 
from all sin. Do not let us trans- Rev . xxii. 18. 
late it into another tense for our- l4 * 
selves, and read, “did cleanse last time we 
knelt and asked for it,” but keep to the tense 
which the Holy Ghost has written, and meet 
the foe-flung darts of doubt with _ . . ^ 

faith’s great answer, The blood of 
Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth (i. e., goes on 
cleansing ) us from all sin.” 

Thus the light of His counte¬ 
nance shall save us. Look at Ps. 
xliv. 3, where we see it as the means of past 
salvation, and then at Ps. xliii. 5, TV 
where the Psalmist anticipates 
praise for its future help; while the two ar« 


Ps xliv. 3. 


8o 


MY KING. 


Num. vi. *6. 


beautifully linked by the marginal reading of 
the latter, which makes it present salvation: 
“Thy presence is salvation.” 

Then follows peace. The waves are stilled, 
and the storm-clouds flee awaymoiselessly and 
swiftly and surely, when He lifts up 
the light of His countenance upon 
* Sam. xxiii. us, aud gives us peace. For this 
4 * uplifting is the shining forth of His 

favor—the smile instead of the frown; and as 
we walk in the light of it, the peace will grow 
into joy, and we shall be even here and now 
“ exceeding glad with Thy counte- 
tenance,” while every step will bring 
us nearer to the resurrection joy of Christ 
Himself, saying with Him, “Thou 
shalt make me full of joy with Thy 
countenance.” \ 

So we shall find day by day, that in the light 
of the King’s countenance is cleansing, salva¬ 
tion, peace, joy—and do not these make up 
life, the new life, the glad life of the children 
of the King! 

“ Lord, lift Thou up the light of 
Thy countenance upon us ” this 


Ps. xzi. 6. 


Acts ii. 28. 


Ps. i v. 6. 


THE KINGS COUNTENANCE. 8l 


day, and in it let us have life, yea, ^ ^ 
“ life more abundantly.” 

u He that followeth me shall not 
walk in darkness, but shall have the 
light ol life.” 


Ib. viiL t* 


TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 


€)t 'toiratM nf tjit ling. 

f Sam. zviii. “And the king commanded, saying 
5- Deal gently for my sake with the young 

man, even with Absalom.” 

E VEN with Absalom! Even with the 
heartless, deliberate traitor and lebel. 
We must recollect clearly what he 

lb. xv. a-u. . . 

was, to appreciate the exquisite ten¬ 
derness of David in such a command to his 
rough war-captains in such untender times. 
For the sake of his people and his kingdom, 
he must send them forth against him, but the 
deep love gushes out in the bidding, “ Deal 
gently for my sake.” 

It was no new impulse. When Amnon was 
• Sam.xiiM murdered, the king “wept very 
?6 , sore,” and “mourned for his son 
every day;” and yet, when the fratricide had 
(82) 



TENDERNESS OF THE KING. 83 

fled, “ the soul of King David 2 S<JDJ . xiii 
longed to go forth unto him,” and 39 * 

“ the king’s heart was toward Absa- a Sam xiv 
lom.” And when God’s own ven¬ 
geance fell upon the wicked son, 

David’s lamentation over him is *** 33 * 
perhaps unparalleled in its intensity of pathos 
among the records of human tenderness. 

Turn to the Antitype, and see the divine 
tenderness of our King. Again and again it 
gleams out, whether He Himself T . . 

° ' Luke xix. 43. 

wept, or whether He said, “Weep ib.vii.i 3 . 
not ”—whether in the tender look, ib. xxii. 61. 
the tender word, or the tender touch John x * 
of gentlest mercy. The Gospels are a ’ vm * IS * 
full of His tenderness. There is not room 
here even for the bare mention of the instances 
of it; but will you not give a little time to 
searching quietly for them, so that, reading 
them under the teaching of the T t , 
Holy Spirit, you may get a concen¬ 
trated view of the wonderful tenderness of Je* 
sus, and yield your heart to be moved by it, 
and your spirit to be so penetrated by it, that 
you may share it and reflect it. Remembei 


MY KING. 


84 


Acts i. 11. 


that in such a search we learn not only whal 
He did and said, nor only what He was, but 
what He is j and in all His recorded tender¬ 
ness we are looking into the present heart of 
Jesus, and seeing what we shall find for our¬ 
selves as we have need. For He is 
“this same Jesus” to-day. 

Then let us glance at the volume of our own 
experience. Who that has had any dealings 
with Christ at all, but must bear witness that 
He has indeed dealt gently with us. Has not 
even suffering been sweet when it showed us 
Lam. Hi. 32. more of this ? What if He had ever 
Ps. ciii. 10. “ dealt with us after our sins ! ** 

job xi. 6. g ut pj e never an( j never w ill. 

He hath dealt gently, and will deal gently with 
us, for His own sake, and according to His 
own heart, from the first drawings 
of His loving-kindness, on through* 
out the measureless developments of His ever¬ 
lasting love. Not till we are in heaven shall 
„ ... we know the full meaning of “ Thy 

Ps. xvm. 35. 0 3 

gentleness hath made me great.” 

May we not recognize a command in this, 
as well as a responsibility to follow the example 


Jer. xxxi. 3. 


TENDERNESS OF THE KING. 85 
of the “ gentleness of Christ ? ” „ 

_ , n . a Cor. *. 1. 

Perhaps next time we are tempted 
to be a little harsh or hasty with an erring 01 
offending one, the whisper will come, “ Deal 
gently, for my sake! ” 

Return! 

O erring, yet beloved ! 

I wait to bind thy bleeding feet, for keen 

And rankling are the thorns where thou hast be-sn 

I wait to give thee pardon, love, and rest. 

(Is not my joy to see thee safe and blest ?) 

Return ! I wait to hear once more thy voice, 

To welcome thee anew, and bid thy heart rejoice 1 

Return ! 

O chosen of my love ! 

Fear not to meet thy beckoning Saviour’s view; 
Long ere I called thee by thy name, I knew 
That very treacherously thou wouldst deal; 

Now I have seen thy ways—yet I will heal. 

Return I Wilt thou yet linger far from Me ? 

My wrath is turned away, I have redeemed thee 


TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 


fjlf €nten nf tljt King’s tort. 

b Sam. xiv. “ To-day thy servant knoweth that 1 
a2, have found grace in thy sight, my Lord, 

O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of 
his servant.” 


A N answered prayer makes us glad for its 
own sake. But there is grace behind the 
gift which is better and more gladdening than 
the gift itself. For which is most valued, the 
“ engaged ring,” or the favor of which it is the 
token? Setting aside judicial answers to un- 
p s . cvi. i 5 . spiritual prayers, which an honest 
Hos. xiii. ix, conscience will have no difficulty 
in distinguishing, the servants of the 
King may take it that His answers to their re¬ 
quests are proofs and tokens of His 
grace and favor—of His real, and 
( 86 ) 


John iii. 22. 



TOKEN OF THE KING'S GRACE. 8? 

present, and personal love to themselves indi« 
vidually. 

When they are receiving few or none, they 
should search for the cause, lest it jobx. a. 
should be some hidden or unrecog- 1 6 

nized sin For “ if I regard iniquity Ps. xix. 12. 
in my heart, the Lord will not hear Ib - lxvl - l8, 
me; ” so never let us go on comfortably and 
easily when He is silent to us. And instead of 
envying others who get “ such wonderful an¬ 
swers,” “ let us search and try our 

,, Lam. in. 40. 

ways. 

Personal acceptance comes first. We must 
be “ accepted in the Beloved ” be- Eph . 
fore we can look to be answered 
through the Beloved. Is there a doubt about 
this, and a sigh over the words ? There need 
not be; for now, at this moment, the old 
promise stands with its unchangeable welcome 
to the weary: “ Him that cometh to joha vi. 37 . 
me I will in no wise cast out.” Heb.vii.25. 
Then, if you come, now, at this moment, on 
the strength of His word, you can not be re¬ 
jected; and if not rejected, there is nothing 
but one blessed alternative—“ accepted ! * 


88 


MY KING . 


Then come the answers! As surely as the 
prayers go up from the accepted 3 ne, so surely 
will the blessings come down. When Esthei 
had touched the golden sceptre, 

Esth. v. 3 . u ^ en sa -^ t k e unt0 h er> whaj 

wilt thou, Queen Esther, and what is thy re¬ 
quest? it shall be even given thee to the half 
of the kingdom.” But there is no “half” in 
Matt. xxi. 22. our King’s promise. He says, “ All 
John xiv. 13. things” and “whatsoever.” And 
He does “ do exceeding abundantly above all 
Eph. iii. 20. that we ask or think,” and more than 
1 Kings x. 13. fulfills our little scanty requests. 

And then , by every fresh fulfillment we 
should receive ever new assurance of our ac¬ 
ceptance— then (shall it not be “ to-day ? ”) as 
we give thanks for each gracious answer, we 
may look up confidingly and joyfully, and say, 
“ Thy servant knoweth that I have found grace 
.Sam.xxv. in thy sight.” For He says, “See, 
3S * I have hearkened to thy voice, and 

have accepted thy person.” 

Eph. i. 6. Accepted, Perfect, and Complete, 

Col. i„ 28. For God’s inheritance made meet! 

Col ii. «o. How true, how glorious, and how sweet ! 


TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 


(Dmttisrifitrj nf tjjj ling. 

“ There is no matter hid from the 2 Sam. xria. 
king.” *3- 


rriHE very attributes which are full of terroi 
to “the King’s enemies,” are „ , 

Ps. xlv. 5. 

full of comfort to the King’s friends. 

Thus His omniscience is like the pillar, which 
was “ a cloud and darkness ” to the „ . 

_ . , ,, .... Ex.xiv. ao. 

Egyptians, but gave light by 
night ” to the Israelites. 

The king’s own General com- aSam> xviii. 
plained of a man who did not act “* 
precisely as he himself would have acted. In 
his reply he uses these words, “ There is no 
matter hid from the king.” The appeal was 
final, and Joab had no more to say. When 
others say, like J :>ab, “ ‘ Why didst thou not 

(89) 



po 


MY KING. 


do so and so ? ” and we know or find that full 
reasons can not be given or can not be under* 
stood, what rest it is to fall back upon the cer¬ 
tainty that our King knows all about it! When 
we are wearied out with trying to make people 
... ... understand, how restful it is that no 

Job xxm, 10. 

explanations are wanted when we 
„ , . come to speak to Him 1 “ All things 

Heb. iv. 13. r ° 

are naked and opened unto the eyes 
of Him with whom we have to do; ” and the 
more we have to do with Him, the more glad 
1 Kings x. 3 anc * thankful we shall be that there 
is “not anything” hid from the 

King. 

In perplexities—when we can not understand 
what is going on around us—can not tell 
whither events are tending—can not tell what 
to do, because we can not see into or through 
the matter before us—let us be calmed and 
steadied and made patient by the thought that 
( ^ 6 what is hidden from us is not hidden 

from Him. If He chooses to guide 
ns blindfold, let Him do it! It will 

PSi cvn. 7, 

not make the least difference to the 
reality and rightness of the guidance. 


OMNISCIENCE OF THE KING. qj 

In mysteries—when we see no clue—when 
we can not at all understand God’s Rom> w 33i 
partial revelation—when we can not 34< 
lift the veil that hangs before His secret coun¬ 
sel—when we can not pierce the holy 
darkness that enshrouds His ways, ,. s ’ x vn ‘ ** 

. . , Ib. xxxvi. 6. 

or tread the great deep of His judg- Ib lxxv .. 
ments where His footsteps are not 
known—is it not enough that even these mat¬ 
ters are not hid from our King ? “ My father 

will do nothing, either great or small, T Sam. xx. a. 
but he will show it me.” “For the Johnv.20. 
Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all 
things that Himself doeth.” 

Our King could so easily reveal everything 
to us, and make everything so clear! It would 
be nothing to Him to tell us all our 
questions. When He does not, can 1 mgS x3 * 
not we trust Him, and just be satisfied that He 
knows, and would tell us if it were best ? He 
has “many things to say 1 * unto as, John ^ 
but He waits till we can bear them. 

May we be glad that even our sins are “ not 
hid” from Him? Yes, surely, for He who 


92 


MY KING. 


^Ps. cxxxix. i. knows all can and will cleanse ail 
isa. xiviii. 8 . He has searched us and known us, 
as we should shrink from knowing ourselves, 
and yet He has pardoned, and^/ He loves! 


TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 


€\ft $nmtr nf tjjt 'Ring’s IJtotfl. 


“Where the word of a king is, there EccI viii. 4. 
Is power.” 



HEN the question is, Where is it? “Let 


the word of Christ dwell in vou Col. in. 16. 
richly,*’ and “ there,” even “ in you,” Heb * “• 9. 
will be power. 

The Crowned One, who is now “ upholding 
all things by the word of His power,” ib. i. 3 . 
hath said, “I have given them Thy Johnxvii.i 4 , 
word.” And those who have received this 
great gift, “ not as the word of men, x Thess# % 
but, as it is in truth, the word of I3 * 
God,” know that “there is power” with it, be 
cause it “ effectually worketh also ” in them. 

They know its life-giving power, for they can 
say, “ Thy word hath quickened pg 
me ; 99 and its life-sustaining power, 


( 93 ) 



94 


MY KING. 


Matt. iv. 4. 


Ps 


for they live “by evevy word that 
proceedeth out of the mouth ol 
God.” They can say, “ Thy word 
have I hid in my heart, that I might 
not sin against Thee; ” for in proportion as 
the word of the King is present in the heart, 
“there is power ” against sin. Then let us use 
John vi. 63. this means of absolute power more, 
and more life and more holiness will 
be ours. 

“ His word was witn power ” in 
Capernaum of old, and it . will be 
with the same power in any place nowadays. 

His word can not fail; it “ shall not 
return void;” it “shall prosper.” 
Therefore, when our “ words fall to 
the ground,” it only proves that they 
were not His words. So what we want is not 
merely that His power may accompany our 
word, but that we may not speak our own at 
all, but simply and only the very “ word of the 
King.” Then there will be power in and with 
it. Bows drawn at a venture hit in 
a way that astonishes ourselves, when 
God puts His own arrows on the 
string. 


Ib. xvii. if 


I uke iv. 33. 


Isa. Iv. 11. 


m. 19. 


t Kings uii. 
34 - 


Pa. riv. 5. 


PC WER OF 7 HE KING'S WORD. 


95 


Heb. iii. 13. 


Prov. xxii. 18. 


There is great comfort and help in taking 
this literally. Why ask a little when we may 
ask much ? The very next time we want to 
speak or write “a word for Jesus” 

(and of course that ought to be to¬ 
day), let us ask Him to give us not merely a 
general idea what to say, but to give us literally 
every single word, and “ they shall 
be withal fitted in thy lips.” 

For He will not say, “ Thou hast 

J 7 . 2 Kings 11.10, 

asked a hard thing,” though it is far 
more , than asking for the mantle of any prophet. 
He says, “ Behold, I have put My ^ ^ 
words in thy mouth.” This was not « 
for Jeremiah alone, for soon after we read, 
“ He that hath My word, let him „ ... 0 

speak My word faithfully ” (for we 
must not overlook our responsibility in the 
matter); and then follows the grand declaration 
of its power, even when spoken by feeble 
human lips: “Is not My word like T . ... 
as a fire ? saith the Lord; and like a 
hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ? M 
“ Behold, I will make My words in 
thy mouth file.” 


Ib. v. 14, 


MY KING. 


& 


If we are not even “ sufficient oI 
ourselves to think anything as of our 
selves/ how much less to speak anything! 
Nam. xxiL “ Have I now any power at all to say 
38 - anything ? The word that God put- 

teth in my mouth, that shall I speak.” We 
would rather have it so, “ that the 
excellency of the power may be of 
God, and not of us.” Our ascended King has 
Matt, xxviii. sa id> “All power is given unto Me. 

l8 ’ z 9- Go ye therefore." That is enough 
P«. cxix. 42. for me; and “ I trust in Thy word.* 


■ Cor. iiS. 5. 


1 Cor. iv. 7. 


Resting on the faithfulness of Christ our Lord, 
Resting on the fullness of His own sure word, 
Resting on His power, on His love untold. 
Resting on His covenant secured of old. 


** A King shall reign. And this is His ^ 
name whereby He shall be called, THE 5 , 6. 
LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” 

E can not do without this most wonder- 



» ▼ ful name. It can never be an old story 
to us. It is always a “ new name ” 
in freshness and beauty and power. <v * m * ”* 
It is our daily need and our daily joy. For 
strength it is indeed “ a strong tower; Prov 
the righteous runneth into it, and is IO * 
safe.” For sweetness it is “ as oint- ^ 
ment poured forth.” In it we see at <an l ' 3 ' 
once the highest height and the deepest depth, 
Jehovah, God of God, Light of Light, and our 
need of a righteousness which is not our own 
at all, because we have none. We stand as 


7 


( 97 ) 


M V KING. 


98 

upon an Alpine slope, face to face with the 
highest, grandest, purest summit above, and 
the darkest, deepest valley below, seeing more 
of the height because of the depth, and move 
of the depth because of the height. 

Jesus our King “ hath by inherit 
* 4 * ance obtained a more excellent 
name” than angels, for His Father has given 
jer. xxiii. 6, Him His own name—“ He shall be 
marg- called Jehovah.” But this alone 
would be too great, too far off for us; it might 
find echoes among the harpings of sinless 
angels, but not among the sighings of sinful 
souls. And so the name was completed for us, 
by the very word that expresses our truest, 
deepest, widest, most perpetual need, and the. 
Holy Ghost revealed the Son of God to us as 
“ Jehovah our Righteousness.” 

Do not let us be content with theoretically 
understanding and correctly holding the doc¬ 
trine of justification by faith. Turn from the 
words to the reality, from the theory to the 
Person, and as a little, glad, wondering child, 
look at the simple, wonderful truth. That 
'‘the Righteousness of God’ (how magnifi- 


THE NAME OF THE KING, 


99 


cent!) is “unto all and upon all 
them that believe; ” therefore, at Rom ‘ u, ‘ 9a * 
this very moment, unto and upon you and me, 
instead of our own filthy rags, so i sa . jxiv. 6. 
that we stand clothed and beautiful Zech. iii. 4 .5. 
in the very sight of God, nowj and Jesus can 
say, “ Thou art all fair, my love,” 
now! That it is not any finite right¬ 
eousness, which might not quite cover the 
whole—might not be quite enough to satisfy 
God’s all-searching eye; not a righteousness, 
but The Righteousness of God; and 
this no abstract attribute, but a Per¬ 
son, real, living, loving—covering us 
with I^is own glorious apparel, rep¬ 
resenting us before His Father, Christ Jesus 
Himself “made unto us Righteous¬ 
ness ! ” This to-day and this for¬ 
ever, for “His name shall endure 

„ Ps. lxxii. i 7 . 

forever. 

It is in His kingly capacity that this glorious 
name is given to Him. For only by “ submitting 
ourselves to the Righteousness of Rom.x. 3 . 
God,” can we have “ the blessedness Ib - iv - 6 * 
of the man unto whom God imputeth righteous- 


Cant. iv. 7. 


Phil. iii. 9. 


Isa. lxiii. x. 


1 Cor. i. 30. 


TOO 


MY KING. 


ness without works.” There can be no com. 
promise—it must be His only or ours only. lie 
must be our King, or He will not be oui 
Righteousness. 


TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 


Marking mitlj ijjt ling. 

° There they dwelt with the king for x chron. w. 
his work.’* 3 3- 

66 HPHERE!”—Not in any likely place at 
all, not in the palace, not in “ the city 
of the great king,” but in about the Ps x i viii . a , 
last place one would have expected, x chron. iv. 
“ among plants and hedges.” It does 23 * 
not even seem clear why they were “ there ” at 
all, for they were potters, not gardeners—thus 
giving us the combination of simple labor of 
the hands, carried on in out-of-the-way places; 
and yet they were dwellers with the king, and 
workers with the king. 

The lesson seems twofold—First, that any¬ 
where and everywhere we too may dwell “ with 
the King for His work.” We may be in a very 



102 


MY KING. 


unlikely or unfavorable place foi this—it may 
be in a literal country life, with little enough to 
be seen of the “ goings” of the King 
VU1 * ^ around us; it may be among hedges 
of all sorts, hinderances in all directions; it may 
be, furthermore, with our hands full of all man¬ 
ner of pottery for our daily task. No matter! 
The King who placed us “ there ” will come 
and dwell there with us; the hedges 
job H*. 23. are aji right, or He would soon do 
away with them, and it does not follow that 
what seems to hinder our way may 
a .xxi.33. be for its very protection ; and 
as for the pottery, why, that is just exactly 
what He has seen fit to put into our hands, and 
therefore it is, for the present, “ His 

Mark xiii. 34. , ,, 

work. 

Secondly, that the dwelling and the working 
must go together. If we are indeed dwelling 
with the King, we shall be working for Him 
. too, “as we have opportunity.” The 
working will be as the dwelling—a 
settled, regular thing, whatever form it may 
take at His appointment. Nor will 
° xv ‘ 5 ‘ His work ever be done when we are 


WORKING WITH THE KING. 


103 

ot dwelling with Him. It will be our nwu 
A T ork then, not His, and it will not 
“ abide.” We shall come under the 1 C ° r ’ U1 ‘ ** 
condemnation of the vine which was pro* 
nounced “empty,” because “he 
bringeth forth fruit unto himself.” 0 • 

We are to dwell with the King “for His 
work;” but He will see to it that it shall be for 
a great deal besides—-for a great 2 Sam . vii. at. 
continual reward according to His 1 Kings x.i 3 . 
own heart and out of His royal bounty—for 
peace, for power, for love, for gladness, for 
likeness to Himself. 

“ Laborers together with God! ” 1 Cor. iii. 9. 
“ workers together with Him ! ” “ the 2 Cor - vi - *• 
Lord working with" us! admitted Mark,vLaa 
into divine fellowship of work!—will not this 
thought ennoble everything He gives us to dc 
to-day, even if it is “among plants and hedges! ’ 
Even the pottery will be grand! 

“ Be strong, all ye people of the 
land, saith the Lord, and work, for *** **’ * 

I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts.” 


TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 


€|je Ewnmpmt nf tjjt ling. 


9 Sam. xix. 
36. 


“ Why should the king recompense it 
me with such a reward ? ” 


B ARZILLAI had provided the king oi 

sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim,” 
exiled from his royal city. When 

lb. xix. 32. . J 

the day of triumphant return came, 
David said to him, “ Come thou over 
’ X1X ‘ 33 ‘ with me, and I will feed thee with 

me in Jerusalem.” This was the “reward.” 

But what a privilege and delight it must 
have been to the loyal old man! And to come 
nearer, what a continual joy it must have been 
to the women who “ ministered ” to 
l/<akevifi. 3. ^ ex ji e( j King of heaven “ of theii 

substance.” How very much one would have 
liked a share in that ministry ! 

(104) 


RECOMPENSE OF THE KING. 


1°5 


John xii. 8, 


Is there any loving wish which our King 
does not meet ? Was it not most thoughtfu. 
of Him to appoint His continual 
representatives, so that we might 
always and every one of us have the oppor¬ 
tunity of ministering to Him! These oppor 
tunities are wider than we sometimes think 
some limit His “ gracious Inasmuch ” Matt xxv 
to services for His sake to the poor 
only. Yet the “strangers” whom Deutx - 19, 
He bids us love, may be rich in all but the 
friendliness and kindness which we may show 
them; and the “ sick ” may be those among 
our own dear ones who need our ministry. 
Why should we fancy it is only those who an 
not near and dear to us, to whom we 
may minister “ as unto Him ?” 

But oh, what little services are our cups of 
cold water! and how utterly ashamed 
we feel of ever having thought any 
of them wearying or irksome, when we look at 
“the recompense of the reward,”— „ 

r Heb. xi. 26. 

“such a reward! Is there one of 
us whose heart has not thrilled at the mere 
imagining of what it will be to hear “ the King 


Epli. vi. 7. 


Mark ix. 41. 


io6 


MY KING. 


Matt. xxv. 34. 

X Sam, xix. 
33- 

Rev. xxi. 10. 
Ib, iii. 12. 


say, Come, ye blessed ” Then 
what will it be to enter into the full¬ 
ness of the reward, to “come over 
with ” Him, and dwell with Him al¬ 
ways in “the holy Jerusalem,” and 
“ go no more out.” 

“ Why should the king recompense it me with 
1 Sam. xxvii. such a reward ? ” “ Why should 

5 * thy servant dwell in the royal city 

with thee ? ” For there is such a tremendous 
disproportion between the work and the re¬ 
ward, though such a glorious proportion be¬ 
tween His love and His reward. 

And yet there is a beautiful fitness in it. 
Lukexiv. 15. The banquet of everlasting joy for 
M 35^‘etc. v ‘ those who gave Him meat; the river 
p s . xxxvi. 8 . of His pleasures for those who gave 
John xiv. 2. Him drink; the mansions in the Fa- 
home for those who took the stranger 
in; the white robes for those who 
clothed the naked; the tree of life 
and “ no more pain ” for those who 
visited the sick; the “ glorious lib¬ 
erty” for those who came unto the 
prisoner; the crown of all, the repeatedly 


ther’s 

Rev. vii 13 


lb, xxii. 2. 
lb. xxi. 4. 
Rom. viii. 21. 


RECOMPENSE OF THE KING. 


io; 

promised “with Me,” for those 

. . John xvn. 24 

who were content to be with His 
sorrowful or suffering ones for His sake. Why 
all this ? I suppose we shall ke«p on asking 

that forever! 


TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 


€l/i ialnatinn nf tir® ling. 

. “The Lord is our King; He wil/ save 

Isa. xxx. 33. .. 

US.” 

T HE thought of salvation is constantly con¬ 
nected with that of kingship. Type, il¬ 
lustration, and prophecy combine them, 
i Sam.«. 16. u Thou shalt anoint him .... that 

.Sam. Hi.'19. he ma y save m y P e0 P le '” “ By the 
hand of my servant David I will 
ib. xix. 9. save my people.” “ The king saved 
us.” “ A King shall reign ; in His 

Jer. xxm. 5, J U( J a h s h a ll fog save d.” “ Thy 

Zech. ix. 9. King cometh, .... having salva¬ 
tion.” 

Because Jesus is our Saviour, He has the 
right to be our King; but again, because He 
(108) 



SAL VA TIG. V OF THE KING. 


109 


17- 

lb. vii. 25. 
Isa. xix. 20. 
Ib. lxiii. z. 

1 Sam. xix. 5. 
Isa. lxiii. 5. 
Ps. xcviii. 2. 


is King, He is qualified to be our Saviour; and 
we never know Him fully as Saviour till we 
have fully received Him as King. His king- 
ship gives the strength to His priesthood. It 
is as the Royal Priest of the order Heb. vii. 
of Melchisedec that He is “ able to 
save.” Thus He is “ a Saviour, and 
a Great One,” “mighty to save.” 

Our King has not only 
“wrought,” and “brought,” and 
“made known His salvation,” but 
He Himself is our salvation. The very names 
seem used interchangeably. Isaiah says, “ Say 
ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, isa. ixii. s *. 
thy Salvation cometh; ” Zechariah Zech * ix - 9- 
bids her rejoice, for “Behold, thy King com¬ 
eth.” Again, Isaiah says, “Mine 
eyes have seen the King;'* and 
Simeon echoes, “Mine eyes have 
seen thy Salvation ,,” as he looks 
upon the infant Jesus, the Light to 
lighten the Gentiles; reminding us 
again of David’s words, “ The Lord 
is my light and my salvation. ' 

It is because we need salvation, because we 


Isa. vi. 5. 


Luke ii. 30. 


Ib. ii. 32. 


Ps. xxvil. 


iio 


MY KING. 


are surrounded by enemies and dangers, and 
have no power to help ourselves, and have no 
. ... other help or hope, that He says, “ I 

Hos.xm.io. . . , 

will be thy King; where is any other 
that may save thee ? ” There is no other. 
Isa. lix. 16. “ He saw that there was no man,” 

Hos. xiii. 4 . an d He says, “ There is no Saviour 
beside me.” 

What is our response? David begins a 
Ps lxii 1 P sa l m by saying, “Truly, my soul 
waiteth upon God : from Him com- 
eth my salvation; ” but he quickly raises the 
ib lxii * k e Y> an d sings, “ He only is my sal¬ 
vation.” Perhaps we have long 
been quite clear that He only is our salvation 
Thess i ^ rom U ever l a sting destruction ; ” but 
are we equally clear that He only is 
(not will be, but Is) our present salvation from 
everything from which we want to be 

Luke x. 19. 

Ps. xd. 3 . saved—from every danger, from every- 
s Pet. ii. 9. snare, from every temptation, from 
b Sam. ui. 18 « i ian( i 0 f a n our enemies,” from 

Tit. ii. 14. our sins ? In death we would cling to 
1 Tim. i. 15. l b e words, “ Christ Jesus came into 
the world to save sinners.’ Why 


SAL VA TION OF THE KING. 111 


not in life equally cling to, and equally make 
real use of, the promise, “ He shall „ 

^ r . . . „ Matt. i. ar. 

save His people from their sms — 

not merely from sin in general, but definitely 

“ from their sins,” personal and plural sins ? 

Is My hand shortened at all that , , 

, . . _ Isa - *•»• 

it can not redeem? or have I no 

power to deliver ? ” 

His salvation is indeed finished, 

His work is perfect; and yet our Deut.^xxH. 

King is still “ working salvation in 4 * 

® J?S.lxXlV. 12* 

the midst of the earth,” applying 
the reality of His salvation (if we will only be¬ 
lieve His power) to the daily details of our pil¬ 
grimage and our warfare. We need it not only 
at last, but now—every hour, every minute. 
And the King “ shall deliver the n>. ixxii. 12 . 
needy when he crieth,” “and shall ib. ixxii. 13. 
save the souls of the needy.” 

May He say to your soul this day ib 
* I am thy salvation.” 

Look away to Jesus, »>• »• 

Look away from all! Ps. cxxi. 1-3 

Then we need not stumble, Prov. iii. n. 


112 


MY KING. 


Prov. iv. 12. 
Jude 24. 

Ps. xxv. 15. 
Luke x. 19 . 
t Sam. xxii. 

Ps. SUIT. 5, 


Then we shall not fall. 
From each snare that luretls, 
Foe or phantom grim, 
Safety this ensureth, 

Look away to Him ! 


THIRTIETH DAY. 


killings tn tjji ling’s IsnsBjinlit. 

'We do not well: this day is a day of 
i . ,, , . . , 2Kingsv«.a 

d tidings, and we hold our peace; if 

Wx* tarry till the morning light, some mischief will 
upon us ; now, therefore, come, that we may go 
tell the king’s household.” 

J UST the last persons who would seem to 
need “good tidings,” and the TV .. 

9 Id* yii. 

last, too, who would seem likely to 
have them to convey! But oh, how true the 
figure is! how many among the King’s own 
household need the good tidings which these 
lepers brought! For they are starv- p s .ixxxi. *>- 
mg so near to plenty, and poor , <£ r iiL 
within reach of treasure, and think- 2Z - 
ing themselves besieged when the Lord has 
dispersed the foe for them. Is it Heb.«. 14, 
not often the spiritual leper, the I5 ‘ 
conscious outcast, the famine-stricken, posses- 
8 (113) 



MY KING. 


114 

sionless soul, who takes the boldest step into 
the fullest salvation, and finds deliverance and 
abundance and riches beyond what the more 
favored and older inmate of the 
1 Cor. ii. is. King’s household knows anything 
about ? 

„ .. It may be one of the enemy’s de- 

vices, that we sometimes hold back 
good tidings, just because we shrink from tell¬ 
ing them to the King’s household. How many 
who do not hesitate to speak of Jesus to little 
children or poor people, or even to persons 
Lukexix i who openly say, “We will not have 
this man to reign over us,” never 
say one word to their fellow-subjects about the 
John rvi. 14, blessed discoveries that the Holy 
* s * Spirit has made to them of the full¬ 

ness of His salvation, and the reality of His 
power, and the treasures of His word, and the 
satisfaction of His love, and the far-reaching 
fulfillments of His promises, and the real, act¬ 
ual deliverance, and freedom, and victory, 
Rom. viii.37. which He gives, and the strength 
Acts m. 16 and the healing that flow through 
faith in His name! 


THE KING'S HOUSEHOLD. 


IIS 

Satan even perverts humility into a hin- 
derance in this, and persuades us that of course 
our friend knows as much or more of this than 
we do, and that telling of what we have found 
in Jesus, may seem like or lead to talking 
about ourselves. Yet perhaps all the while 
that friend is hungering and feeling Prov> a4 , 
besieged, while we are withholding z6 ‘ 
good tidings of plenty and deliverance. Ver¬ 
ily, “ we do not well.” Have there _ 

James iv. 17. 

not been days when the brightest of 
us would have been most thankful for the sim¬ 
plest word about Jesus from the humblest 
Christian—days when even “the mention of 
His name” might have been food and free¬ 
dom ! 

It does not in the least follow that member? 
of Christian families need no such “ good tid¬ 
ings ” because of their favored position. They 
may need it all the more, because no one thinks 
it necessary to try and help them. “As we 
have therefore opportunity, let us 
do good unto all men, specially unto 
them who are of the household of faith.” 

And when? The constantly-recurring word 
meets us here again, “Now / ” 


THIRTY-FIRST DAY. 


€jit ^rnspmtg nf ijis King. 

fcr. xxiii. 5 . “ A King shall reign and prosper.” 

I F we are really interested, heart and soul, in 
a person, how delighted we are to have 
positive assurance of his prosperity, and how 
extremely interested and pleased we feel at 
hearing anything about it! Is not this a test 
of our love to our King ? Are we both inter¬ 
ested and happy in the short, grand, positive 
words which are given us about His certain 
prosperity ? If so, the pulse of our gladness is 
p s . xxxv. 27. beating true to the very heart of God, 
Cf i 3 I (Siaj i ) ^ or u J e h° va h h at h pleasure in the 
and uii. 10. prosperity of His servant.” 

His prosperity is both absolute and increas* 
R . ing. Even now, “ Thy wisdom and 

1 mgs x. 7. p r0S p er j t y excee( ieth the fame that I 
heard ” If we could get one glimpse of oul 
(116) 



PROSPERITY OF THE KING. 


ii; 

King in His present glory and joy, 
how we who love Him would re- 1 e * ,u * a * 
joice for Him and with Him! And if wi 
could get one great view of the wide, but hid¬ 
den prosperity of His kingdom at this moment. 
where would be our discouragement and faint 
heartedness! Suppose we could see how Hi, 
work is going on in every soul that He has re 
deemed out of every kindred and 
tongue all over the world, with the ev * V * 9 * 
same distinctness with which we see it in th a 
last trophy of His grace for which we have 
been praising Him, would it not be a revelation 
of entirely overwhelming joy? Many Chris¬ 
tians nowadays are foregoing an immense 
amount of cheer, because they do not take the 
trouble to inquire, or read, or go where they 
can hear about the present prosperity of His 
kingdom. Those who do not care much, can 
hardly be loving much or helping much. 

But we do care about it; and so how jubi¬ 
lantly the promises of His increasing prosperity 
ring out to us / “ He must increase.” John iii. 3 o. 

‘ He must reign, till He hath put all i Cor. xv. a* 
enemies under His feet.” * Of the isa. u. 7. 


118 


MY KING, 


increase of His government and peace there 
shall be no end.” 

All our natural delight in progress finds satis¬ 
faction here—no stagnation, no reaching a dead 
level; we are on an ever-winning side, bound 
up with an ever-progressing cause. A typical 
light on this point flashes from the story of 
David. He “ went on and grew 

s Sam. v. 10. ,, , ... 

great, or, as the margin has it, go¬ 
ing and growing;” which we can not forbear 
connecting with the promise to ourselves, “Ye 
Mai. iv.a. shall go forth and grow up.” And 

iChron.xi. then we are told that he “waxed 
9 ' greater and greater” (marg.), “ went 

on going and increasing 

But we must not be merely onlookers. Let 
us see to it, first, that there be increasing pros¬ 
perity in His kingdom in our hearts. Pray 
that He may not only reign, but prosper in that 
domain. And next, let us see to it that we are 
doing all we can to further His prosperity all 
around us. Translate our daily prayer, “ Thy 
M ^ . kingdom come,” into daily, burning, 
glowing action for its prosperity. 


FIRST SUNDAY 


€lji €hMe nf tljE ling. 

" As for Mephibosheth, said the king, ^ g ^ 
he shall eat at my table, as one of the * ** 

king’s sons.” 

I N every thought connected with the King* 
table we see Jesus only. 

He prepares the feast—“Thou • 

r r Ps. xxi ii. 5. 

preparest a table before me.” He 
gives the invitation—“ Come thou 2 Sam x?Tr 
over with me, and I will feed thee 33 * 
with me.” He gives the qualifying position of 
adoption, receiving us as “ the King^ Gal. iv. 5. 
sons.” He brings us into “ His ban- Cant - “• 4. 
queting-house.” He bids us partake, saying 
“ Eat, O friends * drink, yea, drink Ib 
abundantly, O beloved.” He is with 
us at the feast, for “ the King sitteth Ib * ** ,a * 

(119) 



120 


MY KING, 


at His table.” He Hirnself is the heavenly 
food, the bread and the meat of His table; foi 
John vi. 51. He says, “ The bread that I wil 
ib. vi. 55. gj ve i s My flesh,” and “ My flesh is 
meat indeed.” 

He Himself! Nothing less is offered to us, 
for nothing less could truly satisfy. How 
wonderfully the spiritual feeding, with its mode 
and its means, is expressed in the words of our 
Communion Service: “Feed on Him in thy 
heart by faith, with thanksgiving.” “ Feed ok 
Him ! ”—not on sacred emblem, not on “ out 
ward and visible sign,” but on Himself. This first 
in place, first in thought. “ He that 

John vi. 57. __ „ , _ , 

eateth Me (can words be strong¬ 
er?), “even he shall live by Me.” Then the 
mode, “in thy heart;' then the means, “by 
faith ”—could it close otherwise than “with 
thanksgiving V 

It is not occasional, but continual feeding on 
„ .. Christ that really satisfies the long- 

Ps; CV11. 9. 0 

ing soul, and fills the hungry soul 

3 Sam. ix x 3 . g 00( J ness> « He eat CQJU 

tinually at the king’s table.” It is “he thai 
John vi. 35; cometh to Me ” who “ shall nevei 


THE TABLE OF THE KING. 


121 


hunger,” not “he who did come.” 

“To whom coming” always coming, 
never going away, because we “ have Ib ‘ u 3 
"asted that the Lord is gracious,” we .. 
shall be ‘ built up/ 

If we are really guests at the King’s table in 
its fullest sense—if we are feeding upon Christ 
Himself, and not on any shadow of the true 
substance—we must be satisfied. Here is a 
strong, severe test. Christ must satisfy; then, 
if we are not satisfied, it must be because we 
are not feeding on Him wholly and only. The 
fault is not in the provision which is made—* 
“ For all that came unto King Solo- , Kings iv. 
mon’s table, they lacked nothing.” 27 * 

When we feel that “ we are not worthy so 
much as to gather up the crumbs under His 
table,” how precious are the words, “This man 
receiveth sinners, and eateth with L ^ ke xy a 
them!” When we remember that 
we were dead in trespasses and sins, Eph * “* *’ 
we may recollect that Lazarus, the 
raised one, “ was one of them that Iohn xu ‘ ** 
sal at the table with Him.” When we com<j 
back from the battle-field, weary, yet victorious 


122 


MY KING . 


Heb. vii. 2 . we may look for our King of Peace 
Gen. xiv. i3. coming to meet us with bread and 
wine and His own priestly blessing, that we 
may be strengthened and refreshed by Him- 
relf. 


SECOND SUNDAY 


listening far tjjj Hing's ®nirt. 


“ Let my lord the king now speak.” 3 Sam. *iv 


18. 



RE we not apt to think more of speaking 


to the King than of the King speaking 
to us? We come to the throne of grace with 
the glad and solemn purpose, ; ‘I aSam.xiv. 
will now speak unto the King.” IS * 

And we pour out our hearts before Ps - lxi » 8. 
Him, and tell Him all the sins and i Kings x. 2 . 
all the needs, all the joys and all the Markvi - 3 o. 
sorrows, till the very telling seems almost an 
answer, because it brings such a sense of re¬ 
lief. It is very sweet, very comforting to dc 
this. 

But this is only half-communion; and we 
miss, perhaps, a great deal of unknown bless- 


(123) 



MY KING. 


124 

ing by being content with this one-sided audi¬ 
ence. 

We should use another "now” and say 
“Let my lord the King now speak.” We ex¬ 
pect Him to speak sometime, but not actually 
and literally “ now,” while we kneel before 
Him. And therefore we do not listen, and 
therefore we do not hear what He 

Luke vii. 40. 

has to say to us. 

What about last time we knelt in prayer ? 
Surely He had more to say to us than we had 
to say to Him, and yet we never waited a min¬ 
ute to see! We did not give Him opportunity 
for His gracious response. We rushed away 
from our King’s presence as soon as we had 
said our say, and vaguely expected Him to 
send His answers after us somehow and some¬ 
time, but not there and then. What wonder 
if they have not yet reached us! The only 
wonder is that He ever speaks at all when we 
x act thus. If Mary had talked to the 

Lord Jesus all the time she sat at 
His feet, she would not have “heard His 
vord.” But is not this pretty much what we 
have done ? 


THE KING'S VOICE. 


125 


Not that we should pray less, but listen more 
And the more we listen, the more we shall want 
to say afterward. “ Thou shalt call, 
and I will answer.” But we may Jobxu1,23, 
miss the sweetest whispers of His love by not 
saying, “Speak, Lord,” and not xSa m.iii.* 
hushing ourselves to “ hear what p s . i xxxv . s. 
God the Lord will speak.” We can x Kings xix 
not hear His “still, small voice” I2 * 
during a torrent of noisy, and impatient, and 
hurried petition. “ I will watch to 

, TT ,, Hab. ii. 1. 

see what He will say unto me. 

We must “ let the King now speak;” not our 
own hearts and our wandering thoughts, not 
the world and not the tempter—we must not 
let these speak; they must be silenced with 
holy determination. And we must let the King 
speak as King, meeting His utterance with im¬ 
plicit submission and faith and obedience; re¬ 
ceiving His least hint with total homage, and 
love, and gratitude. 

He has many a blessed surprise for us in 
thus listening. We may come very diffidently 
Baying, “ Let thine handmaid, I a Sam. xiv. 
pray thee, speak one word unto my ia> 


126 


MY KING. 


lord the King,” and, having said it, wait , say* 
ing, “ Let my Lord the King now speak,” and 
, . . then find that He has many things to 

John atvi. is. M 

say to us. 

He will be speaking to many this day in His 
house of prayer. He will “know 
how to speak a word in season ” to 
each listening heart; He will 
“ speak comfortably.” And His peo¬ 
ple shall know that it is “ He that 
doth speak.” Then let our prayer 
be, “The companions hearken to 
Thy voice; cause me to hear it! ” 


Isa. 1 . 4. 


Hos. ii. 14. 
see marg. 


Isa. lii. 6. 


Cant. viii. 13. 


Our own beloved Master “ hath many things to say j 
Look forward to His teaching, unfolding day by day 
To whispers of His Spirit, while resting at His feet, 
To glowing revelation, to insight clear and sweet. 


THIRD SUNDAY. 


firing tju ling. 

* 

“ Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and CaQt n 
behold King Solomon.” 

P ERHAPS we have dwelt more upon the 
promise, “ Thine eyes shall see Isa xxxiii . 
the King in His beauty/’ than upon I7> 
the command, “ Go forth and behold ” Hinn. 
We are not to be content with languidly say¬ 
ing, “We would see Jesus.” If our John xii. 21 
eyes are too dim, let us pray, “ Open Ps - cxix * l8 * 
Thou mine eyes;” if there is a veil upon out 
hearts, let us turn to the Lord the Spirit, and 
“ it shall be taken away; ” if we are f Cor ... j6 
standing too far off to see, let us utter 
the cry and the resolve, “ Draw me, Cant * l * 4 ‘ 
we will run after Thee;” if we are sitting still 
in the house, let us arise quickly and John si 20t 
go to meet Jesus. a9> 


(127) 



128 


MY KING. 


This is neither an impossible nor a delusive 
command. The eye that looks away up to Jesus 
„ .. will behold Him now. And what 

Heb. xil. a. .... 

shall we behold ? The vision is all of 
beauty and glory and coronation now. The sor- 

isa iii i row an< ^ marre d visage are past; 

and even when we behold Him as 
„ , the Lamb of God, it is the Lamb “ in 

the midst of the throne ” now. 

O daughters of Zion, who gaze by faith upon 
Jesus our King, what do you see? Oh, the 
music of the answers !—“ We see 
Jesus crowned with glory and 
honor! ” “ Fairer than the children 
of men ! ” “ Beautiful and glorious!” 
“ How great is His beauty ! ” “ His 
countenance is as Lebanon, excel¬ 
lent as the cedars,” and “ as the sun 
shineth in his strength! ” “ Yea, He 
is altogether lovely! ” 

When we have seen the beauty of our King 
once, we want to see it always. Then, not till 
then, we really do not care for any other sight, 
except in so far as it reflects or illustrates what 
we see in Him; then, not till then, we can say 


Heb. ii. 9. 
Ps. xlv. 2. 
Isa. iv. 2. 
Zech. ix. 17. 
Cant. v. 15. 
Rev. i. 16. 
Cant. v. 16. 


SEEING THE KING . 


129 


u One thing have I desired of the 
Lord, that will I seek after; that I * U 4 * 
may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days 
of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord.” 
And when we can honestly say, “ One thing,” 
then, as has been tellingly said, “ life is wonder¬ 
fully simplified.” 

Conversely, it is not till we do say, “One 
thing,” that the desire is fulfilled, and we “ see 
His face with joy.” How can we job. mdii. 

“ see His face ” when we are strain- a6, 
ing our eyes to see all sorts of other things ! 

A true sight of the King will give a terrible 
sight of our own uncleanness and deformity; 
but the altar-fire shall touch our lips, _ 

Is*. TU 6, 7. 

the iniquity shall be taken away and 

the sin purged, and then “ the beauty Ps ^ 

of the Lord our God shall be upon 

us,” for “ we all, beholding with open * c,ot “* ,s * 

face as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are (not 

even shall be, but are ) changed into the same 

image, from glory to glory.” 

Lord Jesus, enable us to ‘go forth and be¬ 
hold Thee ” this day; fulfill Thy promise that 


9 


130 


MY KING . 


Thou wilt manifest Thyself to those 
who love Thee; and grant us this 
day to see Thy beauty, Thy power, 
and Thy glory, yea, Thyself in Thy 

sanctuary! 

From glory unto glory! Our faith hath setn tho 
King; 

We own His matchless beauty, as adoringly we sing ; 

But He hath more to show us! O thought of untold 
bliss ! 

And we press on exultingly in certain hope to thi*:— 

To marvelous outpourings of His treasures new and 
old, 

To largess of His bounty paid in the King’s owv 
gold. 

To glorious expansion of His mysteries of grace, 

To radiant unveilings of the brightness of His face. 


John xiv. ai. 

Ps. LxiiL a. 


FOURTH SUNDAY. 


Crating to % ling. 

a Chron. ix. 1-12. 


I. 

I CAME from very far away, tc see 

The King of Salem; for I had been told 
Of glory and of wisdom manifold, 

And condescension infinite and free. 

How could I rest when I had heard His fame 
In that dark, lonely land of death from whence 
I came? 


n. 

1 came (but not like Sheba’s Queen) alone! 
No stately train, no costly gifts to bring; 

No friend at court, save One, that One the 
King! 

(131) 



132 


MY KING. 


I had requests to spread before His throne, 
And I had questions none could solve for me 
Of import deep, and full of awful mystery. 

hi. 

I came and communed with that mighty King, 
And told Him all my heart; I can not say 
In mortal ear what communings were they. 
But wouldst thou know, go too, and meekly 
bring 

All that is in thy heart, and thou shalt hear 
His voice of love and power, His answers 
sweet and clear. 


IV. 

Oh, happy end of every weary quest! 

He told me all I needed, graciously— 
Enough for guidance, and for victory 
O’er doubts and fears, enough for quiet rest; 
And when some veiled response I could not 
read, 

It was not hid from Him—this was enough 
indeed. 


COMING TO THE KING 


133 


v. 

His wisdom and His glories passed before 
My wondering eyes in gradual revelation; 
The house that He had built, its strong 
foundation, 

Its living stones, and, brightening more and 
more, 

Fair glimpses of that palace far away, 

Where all His loyal ones shall dwell with Him 
for aye. 


VI. 

True, the report that reached my far-off land 
Of all His wisdom and transcendent fame; 
Yet I believed not until I came— 

Bowed to the dust, till raised by royal hand. 
The half was never told by mortal word : 

My King exceeded all the fame that I had 
heard! 


vn. 

Oh, happy are His servants! happy they 
Who stand continually before His face, 
Ready to do His will of wisest grace! 


134 


MY KING. 


My King! is mine such blessedness to-day ? 
For I, too, hear Thy wisdom, line by line 
Thy ever brightening words in holy radiance 
shine. 


VIII. 

Oh, blessed be the Lord thy God, who set 
Our King upon His throne! divine delight 
In the Beloved, crowning Thee with might, 
Honor and majesty supreme; and yet 
The strange and God-like secret opening 
thus— 

The Kingship of His Christ ordained through 
love to us! 


IX. 

What shall I render to my glorious King ? 

I have but that which I receive from Thee, 
And what I give Thou givest back to me, 
Transmuted by Thy touch; each worthless 
thing 

Changed to the preciousness of gem or gold, 
And by Thy blessing multiplied a thousand¬ 
fold. 


COMING TO THE KING . 


135 


x. 

All my desire Thou grantest, whatsoe’er 
1 ask! Was ever mythic tale or dream 
So bold as this reality—this stream 
Of boundless blessings flowing full and free ? 
Yet more than I have thought or asked of 
Thee, 

Out of Thy royal bounty still Thou givest 
me! 


XL 

Now will I turn to mine own land, and tell 
What I myself have seen and heard of Thee, 
And give Thine own sweet message, “ Come 
and see! ” 

And yet in heart and mind forever dwell 
With Thee, my King of Peace, in loyal rest, 
Within the fair pavilion of Thy presence blest. 


“ Surely in what place my Lord the King shall be 
whether in death or life, even there also will thy ser .. 
vant be.”—2 Sam. xv. 15. 

“Where I am, there shall also my servant be.”— 
John xii. a6. 



FIFTH SUNDAY. 


Cjjt (Taming af tija ling. 

“ Behold, He cometh.”—Rev. i. 7. 


I. 

T HOU art coming, O my Saviour I 
Thou art coming, O my King! 
In Thy beauty all-resplendent, 

In Thy glory all-transcendent; 

Well may we rejoice and sing! 
Coming! In the opening east, 
Herald brightness slowly swells; 
Coming! O my glorious Priest, 

Hear we not Thy golden bells ? 


11. 

Thou art coming, Thou art coming! 

We shall meet Thee on Thy way; 

We shall see Thee, we shall know Tliee, 
We shall bless Thee, we shall show Thee 
(136) 



THE COMING OF THE KING. i 


All our hearts could never say ! 

What an anthem that will be, 

Ringing out our love to Thee, 

Pouring out our rapture sweet 
At Thine own all-glorious feet! 

hi. 

Thou art coming! Rays of glory, 
Through th« veil Thy death has rent 
Touch the mountain and the river 
With a golden glowing quiver, 

Thrill of light and music blent. 

Earth is brightened when this gleam 
Falls on flower and rock and stream* 
Life is brightened when this ray 
Falls upon its darkest day. 


iv. 

Not a cloud and not a shadow, 

Not a mist and not a tear, 

Not a sin and not a sorrow, 

Not a dim and veiled to-morrow, 
For that sunrise grand and clear! 
Jesus, Saviour once with Thee, 


MY KING. 


Nothing else seems worth a thought! 
1 »h, how marvelous will be 
All the bliss Thy pain hath bought! 


v. 

Thou art coming! At Thy table 
We are witnesses for this, 

While remembering hearts Thou meetest, 
In communion clearest, sweetest, 

Earnest of our coming bliss; 

Showing not Thy death alone, 

And Thy love exceeding great, 

But Thy coming and Thy throne, 

All for which we long and wait. 


VI. 

Thou art coming! We are waiting 
With a hope that can not fail, 
Asking not the day or hour, 

Resting on Thy word of power, 
Anchored safe within the veil 
Time appointed may be long, 

But the vision must be sure: 
Certainty shall make us strong; 
Joyful patience can endure. 


THE COMING OF THE KING. 


VII. 

Oh, the joy to see Thee reigning, 
Thee, my own beloved Lord! 
Every tongue Thy name confessing, 
Worship, honor, glory, blessing, 
Brought to Thee with glad accord 
Thee, my Master and my Friend, 
Vindicated and enthroned! 

Unto earth’s remotest end 
Glorified, adored, and owned! 






Royal Grace and Loyal Gifts. 

COMPRISING 

ROYAL COMMANDMENTS; ROYAL BOUNTY; KEPT FOR 
THE MASTER’S USE; MY KINO; THE ROYAL INVI¬ 
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By FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL. 

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HOW A CHILD 


May Come to Christ 

BY THE 

REV. JOHN E. TODD. 


32mo, Cloth, . 25 Cents. 

“ Paper, ------ 5 •* 

•• " per dozen, - - - 60 “ 

“ ** per hundred, - $4.00. 


‘ Just the help that many a child needs ."—Faith 
and Works. 

“Just what a loving parent often wishes to put 
into the hands of a child beloved and yearned 
over ."—Earnest Worker. 

“A simple, clear, tender, and effectual preach¬ 
ing of the Gospel."— Congregationalist . 

Anson D. F. Randolph k Company, 

38 Wttt Twenty-third St., New York. 


































